


Slow Hand

by DelilahMcMuffin



Series: How Slow is Slow? [1]
Category: Schitt's Creek
Genre: 04.01 Dead Guy in Room 4, Anal Fingering, Blow Jobs, Boys Kissing, Canon Compliant, Cuddling & Snuggling, Don’t mess this up David, Explicit for future chapters, Fluff, Hand Jobs, Idiots in Love, M/M, New Relationship, Spreadsheets, Thirsty Bottom Patrick Brewer, maybe some angst?, taking it slow, there will be smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-21
Updated: 2020-07-31
Packaged: 2020-10-25 15:21:27
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 32,241
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20726384
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DelilahMcMuffin/pseuds/DelilahMcMuffin
Summary: So this one starts out at the end of Season 4 Episode 1 - Dead Guy in Room 4 and ends with their night at Stevie’s in Pregnancy Test.I know the start of their relationship has been done over and over, and done well. But I’d like to add my little voice to the mix.





	1. That’s Not Nice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "We're probably scaring off customers."
> 
> "Don't care," David replied petulantly.
> 
> "David."
> 
> "Patrick."
> 
> "You will care when we have no customers, which means no income, which means I'll have to go back to working for Ray, and..."
> 
> "Ugh. Fine," David grumbled. "Go ahead and ruin the moment with your logic and reasoning."

* * *

[Title is taken from the song Slow Hand by The Pointer Sisters](https://youtu.be/W5razGLu9gA)

* * *

"And for the record, I also respect you a-and think that you're a... a good person."

"Hmm," David hummed in response. "It's just, I said _nice_ person."

There was that little smirk on Patrick's face. "I know," he said, taking a step toward David, his hands sliding around his waist, pulling him closer. David couldn't help but notice that Patrick's eyes flickered down to his lips.

"Oh."

Anything else David may have been about to say was cut off as Patrick leaned in and kissed him. And those same fireworks, that feeling of warmth and light, spread from David's lips down to his toes. It was over far too soon and David couldn't help but pick up their banter from where Patrick had cut them off.

"I just need you to say _nice_ person..."

"You're a good person," Patrick replied with a cheeky twinkle in his eye.

"That's not nice."

Patrick grinned. "I'll show you nice," he said, voice low and gravelly. He leaned in again, his hands resting at the small of David's back as he pressed their lips together again. This time there was more heat, Patrick was less tentative, more confident. He tilted his head and opened his mouth slightly and David sighed and wound his arms around Patrick's neck, feeling the wet heat of Patrick's tongue against his lips. He parted them, welcoming the gentle exploration of his mouth. He touched his tongue to Patrick's and felt it in his toes, his groin.

Letting one hand venture up into Patrick's short hair, David dragged his fingernails along the back of Patrick's head, eliciting a low moan from the other man. And he definitely felt that somewhere south of his belt.

"Fuck," he whispered appreciatively when they finally broke apart. "I take it back. Nice boys don't kiss like that."

Patrick chuckled and David was pleased to see the rosy blush of his cheeks, desire flushing the column of his throat and the patch of formerly alabaster skin exposed by those two buttons left undone at the neck of his shirt. "Fuck nice," Patrick breathed. "I've been wanting to kiss you like that for weeks."

David closed his eyes and tipped his head back. He wanted to pinch himself to make sure that this was real. Did people actually say things like that in real life?

Patrick couldn't help himself. David's beautiful throat was there, exposed to him. And he wanted - no _needed_ \- to see what it felt like to press his lips to his Adam's Apple. The sharp prickle of stubble surprised him, although he knew it shouldn't have. And he liked it. Like, really _really_ liked it. He touched his lips to the spot again, more firmly this time, parting them slightly and letting his breath ghost over the skin. Judging by the way David's breathing had suddenly become very loud and uneven, he guessed that he was also enjoying this.

"This okay?" Patrick asked as he let his mouth explore David above the collar of his sweater. He reached his jaw and gently kissed his way to David's ear, taking the lobe between his lips and sucking before he worried it softly between his teeth.

"Fuck yes," David managed to breathe, still clutching at Patrick's scalp with his no-doubt perfectly manicured fingernails. "Do it again."

And Patrick did. And was rewarded with an absolutely gorgeous moan from David. His pants were growing uncomfortably tight and although he desperately wanted to make that sound come out of David again and again, he was still together enough to realize that maybe the middle of their store - in front of floor-to-ceiling windows looking out at the centre of town - was not the best place to be doing this.

He gave David's earlobe one final nip before he pulled back. David let out a delicious little whine and leaned forward, pressing his forehead to Patrick's. His eyes closed, dark lashes fluttering against his cheeks, he sighed.

"Why'd you stop?"

Patrick chuckled and rubbed his nose against David's, grinning as David scrunched up his face. "We're probably scaring off customers."

"Don't care," David replied petulantly.

"David."

"Patrick."

"You will care when we have no customers, which means no income, which means I'll have to go back to working for Ray, and..."

"Ugh. _Fine_," David grumbled. "Go ahead and ruin the moment with your _logic _and _reasoning_."

Despite their words, they stood entangled in one another's arms for a few moments longer, gently swaying to the soft jazz playing over the store's speakers. Finally, David broke the spell and unwrapped himself from around Patrick, taking a step back and giving him a shy smile.

"That was really..."

"...Nice?" Patrick supplied, helpfully.

"I was going to say 'good'," David smirked.

"It's just, I need you to say _nice_," Patrick teased.

"It was very, _very_ good," David affirmed. "And I want to do that again very soon. But we have a store to run for another..." he pulled his phone from his pocket and raised his eyebrows, "forty five minutes." He tucked his phone back into his pocket. "Plus I'm starving. With all the dead bodies piling up at the motel this morning I was too upset to eat, so..."

"David, there was one dead body," Patrick reminded him. "Hardly a pile."

"One dead body is one too many," David declared with a grimace.

"But your appetite is back?"

David's eyes glinted mischievously. "Oh, I'm _definitely_ hungry now."

Patrick felt his cock twitch at the decidedly seductive timbre of David's voice and the way he raked his eyes over Patrick's body. He had to clench his hands into fists to keep himself from grabbing handfuls of David's sweater and pulling him in for a ravenous kiss.

"I'm gonna, um..." he stumbled over his words, feeling flushed, lightheaded and decidedly flustered under David's gaze. "I'll work in the back office and get, um... stuff done. There. So..."

"And I'll just get stuff done out here then, shall I?" David said, his tone amused at Patrick's decidedly un-Patrick-like state of discomposure.

"Um, yup. Yes. That would be... that's fine," Patrick said before disappearing behind the curtain.

"You sure it wouldn't be _nice_?" he heard David call out after him.

He sat at the desk and put his head in his hands, willing himself to think unsexy thoughts. He just needed to get through the next forty five fucking minutes.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know. No smut yet. But it is coming. I promise!


	2. Be Careful

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He looked over at David. He looked so good. God, he was handsome. And for the first time, Patrick felt like he could really look at him without having to wonder if he was being too obvious. The cat was out of the bag now; Patrick Brewer was hot for David Rose.

* * *

David busied himself with helping customers, restocking the items sold earlier in the day, unfolding and refolding the sweaters on the table, sweeping the floor, and obsessively checking, then rechecking the clock on his phone. Finally it was time to close and he raced to the door and flipped the sign before turning the deadbolt.

It had been a rollercoaster of a day - from the dead guy in room 4, to the misunderstanding with Patrick about the possibility of a sleepover... _Fuck_! He leaned back against the door and closed his eyes. Where the hell was he going to sleep tonight? He'd still not gotten a chance to figure that out, having been distracted by Patrick and his wonderful lips.

He really didn't want to bother Stevie. He could just imagine the day she'd had; actually having been in a room with a dead body? No thank you. He shuddered involuntarily at the thought. But he also was not into sleeping on a cot in his parents' bedroom next to his sister. That was just too disgusting to even think about. He could hear his father snoring through the thin walls of the motel. How would he get any sleep in the same room? And if he was going to be not sleeping anyway, he'd much rather be _not sleeping _with Patrick...

But Patrick wanted to go slow. And _not sleeping _together was the opposite of going slow. It was what David normally did at the start of a new relationship, and look how well that had turned out for him. Mid thirties and _Sebastien Fucking Raine _was his longest relationship to date.

He was determined to not make the same mistakes with Patrick that he'd made so many times before. He wanted this to work so, so badly. He really, _really _liked Patrick. And for some strange reason, Patrick seemed to really, _really _like him too. Alexis's words from that morning sprang unbidden to his mind; "Patrick is a sweet little button-face, David. So don't mess this up."

No pressure. None at all.

Steeling himself, he went to the register and rang out the till. He pulled aside the curtain and smiled as Patrick looked up from where he'd been working on his laptop at the desk. "Do you want to balance or should I?" he asked.

"I can do it," Patrick offered and David placed the cash tin down on the desk once Patrick had closed and set aside his laptop. "Why don't you take a load off. You've been standing all afternoon."

"Thanks," David said. He stood awkwardly in the middle of the room, trying to decide whether to sit on the lumpy and uncomfortable couch left behind by the previous owners, or to pull up another chair to the desk to be closer to Patrick. The couch was uninviting, hideously uncomfortable and kind of smelled. But on the other hand he wouldn't be a nuisance or a distraction to Patrick all the way over on the other side of the room. And the less distracted Patrick was, the sooner he would finish balancing. And the sooner he finished balancing, the sooner David could be kissing him again.

He was still weighing his options when the sound of wood scraping against wood sounded loud and jarring in the small room and he looked over and saw that Patrick had used his foot to reach out and drag the other chair closer to the desk. He glanced up at David and patted the seat invitingly.

"You were thinking too loudly," Patrick said as David lowered himself into the offered chair.

"I was what?"

"Thinking. Too loudly," Patrick repeated. "It was distracting."

"Oh really. And what, pray-tell, was I thinking about?" David asked, resting his elbow on the edge of the table and cupping his chin in his hand.

Patrick counted silently to himself for a moment and jotted down a figure into the ledger before he tucked the stack of bills into the deposit bag. He glanced at David, who batted his eyelashes innocently in response.

That earned him a knowing grin from Patrick who went back to his counting, diligently marking down the denominations of bills and coin in the ledger and tucking them away neatly for deposit at the bank the following day. David sat quietly and watched him work. Finally, Patrick tucked the deposit into the safe along with the cash tin containing tomorrow's float. He set the ledger aside and put his pen away in the drawer.

"You're doing it again," he said to David.

"I'm not doing anything," David exclaimed, trying for, but not quite mastering indignant. "I'm just sitting here, minding my own business, waiting very patiently for my business partner to be done so I can make out with him. Is that so wrong?"

Patrick chewed thoughtfully on the inside of his cheek. And then he did it again. He glanced down at David's mouth. And that was all the warning David got before Patrick lunged forward and crashed their lips together. David had to grab on to the edge of the table to keep his chair from tipping backward as Patrick landed sideways on his lap, his warm hands framing David's face, his thumbs scraping against the stubble on David's cheeks. His tongue was urgent, insistent and David gasped as he opened his mouth to let him in, moaning wantonly as Patrick swiped hungrily over his lips, his teeth, his tongue.

* * *

Patrick had been doing his best to keep it together, but it was like a switch had been flipped in him. He'd spent so long - so fucking long - feeling so empty, so unfulfilled. Kissing someone had never, ever felt like this. Kissing David made his toes curl, his skin vibrate and the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. And most of all it made him hard. So hard, so fast. Getting aroused with women had always taken so much work, but with David... God, after their kiss last night he'd gone back to his room at Ray's and needed to touch himself so badly that it hurt. He'd barely gotten his hand around his swollen cock before he came, biting his lip hard to keep from moaning too loudly and waking Ray.

And after finally getting to properly taste David this afternoon... God, he tasted so good. He smelled so good. And his body felt so good pressed up against his own. His fingers had itched to touch his own cock while he waited for the store to close, but he couldn't do it. What if David needed his help with a customer? Or came back to the office for something and saw him with his hand in his pants; Patrick would have been mortified. So he'd pulled out his laptop and looked at baseball stats, he'd checked the stock market, he'd pulled up some documents Ray had emailed him and asked him to review.

His body had tensed when he heard David finally - finally! - lock the front door and begin ringing out the register. When he came through the curtain with the cash tin, Patrick had offered to do the balancing. Not that David couldn't do it, but he was slower than Patrick, more methodical, less sure of himself and Patrick wanted to get it done _now_. What he hadn't counted on was how distracting David could be. He clearly couldn't make up his mind where to sit for some reason, and Patrick couldn't concentrate over the little mutters David was making under his breath. So he'd hauled over the other chair for David. Which was a mistake. Because now David was sitting right beside him, being very mindful of staying quiet and keeping his hands to himself. And Patrick could feel those gorgeous dark eyes on him, and it was so much worse than listening to him oscilate between the chair and the couch.

And then he was done. And he looked over at David. He looked so good. God, he was handsome. And for the first time, Patrick felt like he could really look at him without having to wonder if he was being too obvious. The cat was out of the bag now; Patrick Brewer was hot for David Rose.

David didn't look neary as hot and bothered as Patrick felt. He looked cool, calm and collected. His eyes flashed with amusement as they bantered, and Patrick couldn't help but fixate on his mouth, those lips, that tongue...

And he pounced. He threw himself at David whose eyes widened in surprise as he caught Patrick in his arms, on his lap. Plunging his tongue into David's mouth, Patrick revelled in the moan he drew from David's throat. He felt strong arms wrapping around him, pulling him infinitesimally closer. A hand slid up his spine while another slid downward, hesitating at his lower back. Patrick groaned frustratedly into David's mouth, desperately wanting that hand to go lower.

"You can touch my ass," he mumbled against David's lips.

Breathless, David broke their kiss, his chest heaving as he moved his hand to Patrick's hip instead. "That's not going slow, Patrick," he panted. "You said you wanted to go slow."

Their faces inches apart, Patrick opened his eyes to see David watching him carefully.

"It's okay, David," Patrick assured him. "I want you to." He leaned in to kiss him again, but David turned his head.

"I can't. Yet."

"David..." Patrick pleaded.

"We can't, Patrick," David repeated.

Patrick sighed and pressed his nose against David's temple. "Why?" he asked, already knowing the answer.

"You said slow," David said, the hand on his hip sliding down to gently rub Patrick's thigh. "And before we do anything that you might... regret once the moment has passed, I think we need to talk about what that means for you. And for me."

Patrick breathed a frustrated sigh. He knew David was right. But it didn't mean he had to like it.

"So what do we do now?"

David shrugged. "Dinner?" he suggested hopefully.

"David Rose, if you pressed pause on that amazing kiss because you are hungry..." Patrick teased, earning a bashful smile from David.

"You thought it was amazing too?"

Patrick's eyebrows rose and he sat back, looking quizzically at David. "How could I not? That was - I swear to God - the best kiss of my life."

David let out a relieved breath. "Good," he smiled. He squeezed Patrick's thigh.

"Does it... I mean... did it even rank for you?" Patrick asked before he'd had a chance to think about what he was asking. David's brow furrowed.

"Patrick..."

"Well, you have kissed thousands of people..." Patrick pressed. _Why was he doing this? What was wrong with him? Stop ruining the moment, you idiot_!

Reaching up with one hand, David placed a finger to Patrick's lips, biting his own as he stared contemplatively at the man on his lap. "It was the second best kiss of my entire life," he admitted.

"Oh." Patrick's face fell and he tried to pull back from David's embrace. "

"The best was last night," David rushed on, placing his hand on Patrick's jaw, as he had in the car outside the motel. "This was more intense, but that one meant more. To me."

He leaned in and gently touched his lips to Patrick's. It was soft, and sweet and oh so tender and it made Patrick's heart flutter in his chest.

"Fine. We can go eat," Patrick mumbled causing David to laugh into their kiss.

"Where do you want to go?"

"Cafe's closest," Patrick said, getting to his feet and extending a hand to help David up from his chair.

David made a face. "No offense, but my whole family will be there eating dinner, and if I have to spend the night sleeping in my parents' room with all of them I am going to need to not be around them for dinner."

"Well, where then?" Patrick asked.

"Can I..." David paused, looking at Patrick with a small, shy smile. "Can I take you on a date?"

"No Stevie?"

"No Stevie," David promised. He grabbed his bag from the floor beside the desk and reached to turn off the lamp. "I know a great pizza place in Elmdale. If you don't mind a bit of a drive."

Patrick picked up his car keys and phone from behind the register. "You sure you're gonna make it all the way to Elmdale?" he asked. "And then we'll have to wait for our food... I thought you were hungry."

"Oh I am," David assured him. He held the door open for Patrick, then took out his key and locked the deadbolt before tucking his keys into his bag. "But I think the wait will make it taste even better.” He nudged Patrick with his shoulder playfully.

They got into Patrick's car and Patrick put his key in the ignition, but didn't turn it. "Thank you, David," he said.

"For what?"

Patrick smiled, remembering their conversation from last night, parked in front of David's motel room. "Thank you for stopping things before I... got carried away."

"Please believe me, Patrick. It's not that I didn't want to keep going," David assured him. "I would've loved nothing more than to grab your ass and anything else you would’ve let me. But I..." He dropped his gaze to his hands folded in his lap. "I need to be careful. With you."

Patrick opened his mouth, about to tell David off, tell him that he wasn't some quivering virginal milk maid that needed handling with kid gloves. But the pleading look on David's face when he looked up, and the raw emotion in his voice stopped him. He placed a palm to David's cheek. "Ok."

"And I need..." David closed his eyes, leaning into Patrick's touch.

"What do you need, David?" Patrick asked softly. "Tell me. Please."

"I need you to be careful. With me," he said, so quietly Patrick scarcely heard him. "I have a... a history. I'm not good at relationships. You have to tell me if it's too much, or too fast," David said, his eyes still closed. "If _I'm _too much. I need to be able to trust you with that."

His vulnerability in that moment made Patrick's heart ache for him. "You can trust me, David," he vowed solemnly. "I promise, we'll be careful with each other, okay?"

The tension in David's jaw lessened under Patrick's palm. Patrick ran his thumb against David's stubbled cheek. "Now, I believe you were going to take me on a date?"

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, no smut yet. This one kind of got away from me. But hopefully this is satisfying in its own way!


	3. There’s a But in There Somewhere

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "It's just that now... I, um... I don't know how to, um... like, I - we - want to take the next step. But..."
> 
> "But you told David you want to take things slow, and he's being annoyingly pedantic about the whole thing and moving at a glacial pace?"
> 
> "Ah. So he has talked to you about this."
> 
> "He has... expressed some frustration. Of an... intimate nature."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Patrick wants to get it on, but David is being surprisingly reluctant. 
> 
> Stevie and Patrick have a heart to heart.

* * *

_Death by spontaneous combustion. That's a thing, right? _

Patrick's not sure if it's just an urban legend or if there's some basis of fact behind it. But if the way he's been feeling over the past few weeks is anything to go by, he's becoming more and more certain that it's how his life will come to an abrupt and dramatic end.

_"Whatever happened to Patrick Brewer?" _people will ask_._

_"Didn't you hear? One day he just exploded," _other people will reply knowingly_. "Spontaneous combustion brought upon by intense sexual frustration."_

Patrick groaned, shook his head and tried to refocus his attention on the inventory list on the counter in front of him. That was easier said than done, what with David swanning around the store with a feather duster, reaching up to get at those pesky corners above the shelves that displayed their wares. Every time he lifted his arms, standing on his tip toes to reach the highest shelves, his shirt rode up and Patrick caught a glimpse of a sliver of skin just above the waistband of his specacularly tight jeans.

The ass contained in those jeans looked delicious and Patrick's fingers itched to grab a handful and just squeeze. He'd gotten close a few times, but David had always tutted gently and grabbed his hands, placing them back on his waist or his hips, murmuring what was quickly becoming his mantra - and the bane of Patrick's existence - in his ear.

_"Slow, Patrick. What's your rush?"_

He had already had to excuse himself twice today to relieve the pressure building up in his pants and David hadn't even touched him, save for a chaste kiss in greeting when he'd arrived at the store shortly after 10 am bearing a tea and a scone for Patrick. Just seeing the man himself after a night spent stroking his cock to release while thinking about him had been enough to cause Patrick's dick to spring to attention again. He'd awkwardly accepted David's peck on the cheek before grabbing his tea and using the inventory clipboard to cover his crotch, skuttling behind the curtain and back to the relative safety of his desk.

Patrick had heard the guys in the locker room in high school talk about _'popping a boner' _at the slightest provocation and he'd gone along with them, nodding his head and adding his own half-hearted _"yeah, I hate it when that happens" _into the conversation, all the while wondering what the hell was wrong with him. Sure, he'd gotten erections before but they were never something that just happened for him. They took work and preparation and were mostly embarrassing because he had trouble keeping them for long enough to be of use to anyone...

But then David happened. This gorgeous, smart, creative, funny, ridiculous man had come into his life and Patrick had finally begun to understand what those boys were talking about all those years ago. It was all so new for Patrick, this feeling of wanting someone. Of desiring them. Patrick had gotten pretty good at pretending over the years, so good he'd almost believed that what he had felt when he'd been with Rachel was desire. But he knew better now. The desire he had for David was something _very _different. And he revelled in the newness of it and desperately wanted to satiate it. The intense ache, the pull, the _want_. He wanted David. Wanted to touch him, taste him, be touched and tasted by him. It was thrilling and terrifying and overwhelming all at once.

The chime above the door jingled and Patrick once again pulled himself from his thoughts, plastering what he hoped was a welcoming smile on his face to greet their customer.

"Hey Stevie," he said as she entered the store, a bag of fresh apples picked from the crate outside their front door dangling from her hand.

"Hello yourself," she said. She smirked at him. "And how are you today?"

"Fine," Patrick said, warily clocking her expression. "Um... how are you?"

"Amused," she replied, dropping the bag of apples onto the counter between them. Patrick frowned confusedly. "I've been watching you oogle him from outside for the past five minutes," she informed him, a sly smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "You're practically drooling."

Patrick's mouth gaped open. He shut it, but it sprang open again. "I... uh... what?" He could feel his cheeks flushing with warmth and he knew he must have turned a horrifyingly telling shade of pink.

Stevie was full on grinning at him now. "You're looking at him the way a starving man looks at a five course meal," she teased.

Patrick ducked his head and kneaded the back of his neck with his hand. He glanced bashfully up at Stevie. "That obvious, huh?"

"It's not subtle," Stevie concurred. "But I get it. He's hot as fuck ." She turned and together they watched David bend over to rearrange something on a bottom shelf. Stevie grunted appreciatively.

"Mmm," Patrick hummed in agreement. "Yeah."

"So, things are going well?"

Patrick smiled and reluctantly dragged his eyes away from David's ass. "Yeah. They are," he said simply. "Really... really good."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "I'm sensing a but in there somewhere... and that's a but with one 'T'. Not that spectacular butt on display over there." She jabbed a thumb over her shoulder in David's direction, earning a chuckle from Patrick.

"I just... I mean, I'm sure David's told you that this is all... new. For me."

Stevie nodded, a sympathetic smile on her face. "Yeah. He did. I hope that's okay."

"Well, I don't exactly want him broadcasting it to everyone, but I know how close you two are, and I know your... um... your history. And I know that without you basically spelling it out for David - that I was like, really, _really _into him - that I'd probably still be trying to find a way to ask him out..."

"You'd have gotten there eventually," Stevie said encouragingly. "You don't strike me as the kind of guy who gives up easily when you've set your mind on something."

"I'm not. Not usually," Patrick agreed. "But, um... Thank you. All the same."

"You're welcome." Stevie was watching him closely now. "I'm still sensing that but..."

Patrick exhaled nervously. He glanced over Stevie's shoulder to make sure David was still busy on the far side of the store. He was.

"It's just that now... I, um... I don't know how to, um... like, I - _we_ \- want to take the next step. But..."

"But you told David you want to take things slow, and he's being annoyingly pedantic about the whole thing and moving at a glacial pace?"

"Ah. So he has talked to you about this."

"He has... expressed some frustration. Of an... intimate nature." Stevie grimaced.

"Oh."

Stevie took a deep breath and let it out slowly. How could she explain this to Patrick? She didn't want to overstep, but she also knew that David had a knack for self-sabotage that was verging on masterful. She also didn't want to have this conversation anywhere near where David might overhear them.

"I'm going to grab a coffee," she declared suddenly. "And you're coming with me." She turned and called out over her shoulder. "David, I'm stealing Patrick for a few minutes. Want anything from the cafe?"

David stood and peered over the central display tables at them. "What? Why? What?" he asked eloquently.

Leaving the apples on the counter, Stevie grabbed Patrick's hand and dragged him around the register and toward the door. "Me and Patrick. Coffee. Want anything?"

David narrowed his eyes at them. "My usual," he said, and Stevie nodded as the door closed behind them and she and Patrick were on the sidewalk in front of the store.

"What are you..."

"Come on," she tugged at his hand and they crossed the intersection, heading for the cafe. She pushed open the door and made a beeline to a booth in the back corner. She signaled for Twyla who waved her acknowledgement and indicated she'd be with them in a moment.

"Stevie..."

"Okay, so the thing you need to know about David," Stevie began, keeping her voice low, "Is that he is a pleaser." Patrick frowned at her. "I mean... I know it doesn't seem like it because he's so ridiculous and obnoxious and deeply, _deeply_ selfish like, all of the time. But underneath all of that - like, super deep down - he just... he wants to see the people he cares about happy."

"Okay," Patrick said, his tone wary. "Now _I'm _sensing a but..."

"_But_," Stevie continued, "He's also... how can I put this in a way that doesn't sound awful?" She paused, glancing up to see Twyla heading toward their table. "Hey Twy. A black coffee for me, a tea for Patrick and... um..."

"Caramel macchiato, skim, two sweetners, with a sprinkle of cocoa powder," Patrick rattled off David's ridiculously complicated coffee order without a second thought. Somehow, that made Stevie's heart melf just a little bit.

"Coming right up," Twyla said with a smile.

"What?" Patrick asked defensively at Stevie's look.

"You know his order."

"Well... yeah," Patrick shrugged.

"_I_ don't even know his order, and I've known him for four years."

"I... I guess I've been paying attention," Patrick said quietly.

Stevie smiled. "I'm glad you have," she said honestly. "He deserves to have someone that pays attention to him. I don't think many people in his past life did that. At least not for the right reasons."

"The right reasons?"

Stevie sighed. "I don't know how much David has told you about his past, and it's definitely not my place to speak on his behalf," she began, nervously fiddling with the salt and pepper shakers on the table. "I said before that he's a pleaser," she said and Patrick nodded, urging her to continue. "What I meant by that is that he will go to great lengths and do things to make the people in his life happy."

"Okay."

"David hasn't always filled his life with people that deserve to have someone like him working so hard for their happiness."

Patrick nodded silently and Stevie continued. "And sometimes the things he may have done to make those people happy were not necessarily things that he wanted to do, or that made him happy. Or safe."

"Stevie..."

"I don't know a lot of details," Stevie rushed on. It was a lie. She knew far too many details, but Patrick didn't need to know that. "I just want you to understand why he might be stalling. On being intimate. With you."

"M’kay."

Twyla returned at that moment with Patrick's tea and Stevie's coffee. "It'll just be another few minutes to get David's order," she smiled. "I'll bring it over when it's ready."

"Thanks Twyla," Patrick said as she placed a bill down on the table between them. He watched as she walked away, then turned back to Stevie. "You were saying?"

Stevie sighed and scrunched up her face, trying to find a way to explain. "He _really_ likes you, Patrick. If you asked, he would probably do anything for you."

"Well not... not _anything_, surely?"

"I wouldn't put it past him," Stevie replied. "I mean, he wouldn't like, wake up early, or go for a hike or play a sport. But he'd do almost anything else." Patrick stared silently back at her, his face unreadable. "So, you've told him you want to go slow."

"Uh huh."

"That's something you've told him you want, and he knows it's important to you. So..." She finally saw a glimmer of understanding flicker across his features. "So if you want things to move along a little faster, then it's going to be up to you to make it clear. _Crystal_ clear. Like, totally transparent."

Patrick was thoughtful a moment. "I can do that."

Stevie smiled. “I figured as much. So what are you waiting for?" she asked. "Go get 'im, tiger."

He grinned at her and Stevie watched as he gathered his tea and stood, taking the bill from the table. He met Twyla at the counter, exchanging cash for David's _caramel mocha-whatsits-chino. _He turnedto nod at Stevie before he pushed his way through the door and out into the street.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am very unsure about this one guys. My brain was being a brat and had so many ideas and none of them wanted to play nicely together. I think I’m happy with how this turned out, but I’ll let you all be the judge of that. 
> 
> I really, really promise that we’re getting closer to the smut. For reals. It’s on its way.


	4. Wanted

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He placed his hands on Patrick’s shoulders but didn’t push him away. He couldn’t bring himself to do it, to sever the connection and heat between them. But he knew he had to. This was too much and he needed to be the responsible one and put a stop to this before they got carried away, before they did something that they couldn’t undo. 
> 
> Or
> 
> Patrick tries to convince David that he’s ready for more. David has feelings.

* * *

“Fucking Stevie,” David muttered under his breath as he picked up the bag of apples she’d left on the counter when she’d dragged Patrick off to the cafe. “At least she didn’t steal them.” He had to concede that small victory. 

Opening the front door he stepped out into the sunshine, opening the clear plastic bag and placing the apples back with their fellows in the crate. Deciding that while he was out here, he might as well tend to the other fresh produce, he stepped back inside and grabbed the spray bottle before heading back out and misting the fruit and vegetables. 

He glanced over his shoulder at the cafe. He couldn’t see through the window, but he knew they were in there. Stevie and Patrick. _Talking_. 

He huffed as he gave the radishes one more vehement spray then went back inside. Talking. _Stevie and Patrick_. It never boded well for him when the two of them talked. 

Well... that wasn’t completely true. If he was being truthful, he had to admit that he liked the fact that his best friend and his... uh... Patrick (they were _not_ doing boyfriend after only a week of hands-above-the-waist and all-clothes-stay-on making out, _thankyouverymuch_) got along so well. It helped that they shared a common passion for taking well aimed jabs at his ego.

He just preferred it when the pair of them did their trolling when he was around to hear what they were saying. This sneaking off to get coffee and talk about him - because what else were the two of them going to talk about? - made him uncomfortable. What if Patrick was telling Stevie that David wasn’t a good kisser? Or what if Stevie was telling Patrick the sordid details of their ill-advised and short-lived fling?

Or - _ohmygod_ \- What if they were over there right now comparing notes? 

He set the spray bottle down on the counter, squeezed his eyes shut and pressed his thumbs against his eyebrows, willing that unwelcome thought to get the fuck out of his brain. 

Letting out the breath he hadn’t even been aware he'd been holding, David opened his eyes and gazed around the store. He needed to do something, keep his hands busy so he wouldn’t let his mind wander into all the unpleasant what-ifs that were currently vying for their chance in the spotlight. 

Why had he already done all the dusting and sweeping? He should have saved those menial and mind-numbing tasks for just such an emergency. Glancing around the store for something out of place for his mind to fixate on, he groaned frustratedly. The store was perfect. Every product in its rightful place, shelves and tables fully stocked in beautiful, soothing, straight lines with all the labels facing out, just the way David liked them. 

He was debating on whether or not he should unfold and re-fold the alpaca throws when the bell jingled. He turned his attention to the figure awkwardly balancing two take out cups in one hand while he carefully maneuvered through the doorway. 

“Hey,” Patrick smiled warmly at him as he kicked the door closed behind him. He sauntered up to David who reached for his coffee, but Patrick bypassed his outstretched hand and set both cups down on the counter beside him, then slid his hands around David’s waist, pulling him close and brushing his lips tantalizingly against David’s. 

“What were you and Stevie-_mmph_!” David’s reply was stifled as Patrick’s tongue plunged into his mouth. David closed his eyes and let himself lean into the man pressed against him, tilting his head and parting his lips to allow Patrick’s probing tongue more room to explore. His hands wound around Patrick’s neck, his fingers found their way into his hair, scratching and scraping for purchase against his scalp. He felt Patrick moan before he heard it, long and low, deep in his throat. And God, if that’s the sound he made when they kissed, imagine the sounds he would make when they finally fucked.

_Slow, David. Patrick said slow. Don't mess this up. Do _not_ mess this up._

Patrick shifted, his arms tightening around David, a hand sliding up between his shoulder blades, the other gripping a fistful of his sweater. David felt the edge of the counter pressed firmly against his backside, Patrick snug against his front. And there it was... Patrick’s hot, hard erection firm against the juncture between his hip and his thigh. 

”Fuck,” he murmured against Patrick’s lips as he began to slowly gyrate his pelvis against David. His own cock throbbed painfully and it was all he could do to keep himself from thrusting back against Patrick. He placed his hands on Patrick’s shoulders but didn’t push him away. He couldn’t bring himself to do it, to sever the connection and heat between them. But he knew he had to. This was too much and he needed to be the responsible one and put a stop to this before they got carried away, before they did something that they couldn’t undo. 

With a resigned sigh, he slowed the kiss, easing back from the fiery battle of tongues and teeth and lips and hands into something softer and more chaste. Patrick whimpered in response.

”Why?” he panted against David’s lips, hands still grasping his sweater tightly, his hardened dick still tight against David’s leg. 

“Patrick. You know why,” David soothed, rubbing Patrick’s shoulders, feeling the tension set firmly in his muscles. 

Patrick pulled back so he could look up at David. His face was flushed and his eyes were glassy and unfocused. His hair stood up in messy little tufts where David’s fingers had gripped and tugged. David thought he’d never seen anything so fucking beautiful in his entire life. 

“Do you feel that?” Patrick asked softly. Slowly, carefully, he undulated his hips, pushing his erection right into the crook of David’s groin and for a fleeting, exquisite moment, their cocks aligned and David was sure he saw stars. He nodded his head, unable to form words. “You did that, David. You’re the only one...” Patrick flicked his hips against David’s again and this time there were fireworks going off in David’s head. He closed his eyes and bit his lip, both hoping and dreading that Patrick would do it again. 

“No one, and I mean _no one_,” Patrick’s lips brushed against David’s ear, “Has ever made me so fucking hard, and all we’ve done is kiss.” His voice was so low and slow and deliberate, like molasses on a winter’s day. David shivered involuntarily and Patrick nipped at his earlobe. “I love that you are being careful with me,” he drew the lobe between his lips and sucked before letting it go and laving his tongue along David's jaw. “You’ve been so good, David. So amazing.”

David whimpered when Patrick’s lips and tongue were suddenly gone. He felt warm hands framing his face and he opened his eyes to see Patrick looking at him, his expression a confusing mixture of fondness, lust, and something more that David couldn’t place. 

“I know I said slow,” Patrick continued, letting his hands trail down from David’s face until they were resting on his chest. “And I need to thank you for letting me have this last week and for being the one to keep me from going too fast, too soon. I know it can’t have been easy for you.”

David watched as Patrick’s golden brown eyes took in his features, lingering a moment too long on his mouth. Unconsciously, David’s tongue flicked out to wet his lips and saw a spark ignite in Patrick’s eyes. 

“Oh, fuck,” Patrick sighed, closing his eyes and shaking his head. “Fuck David. I want you. So fucking badly.” 

Something funny was happening in David’s chest. A weird, wonderful warmth was spreading through him. Patrick _wanted_ him. _Patrick_ wanted him. Patrick. Wanted. _Him_.

It was a very new feeling for David. He’d been lusted after before by people who knew he’d be good for a quick fuck. He’d been desired by people who thought he could do things to further their artistic careers. He’d been pursued by people who knew he was desperate enough for their attention to foot the bill for a month long trip to Bali. 

But in all his life, he could not remember ever being wanted. Just for being himself.

”Hey, hey!” Patrick’s hands were back on his face, his thumbs wiping the tears David hadn’t even known he’d shed. “David, if it’s too much...”

“It’s not too much. I promise it’s not.” David shook his head vehemently. He let his arms wind around Patrick, leaning forward and resting their foreheads together. “It’s just... are you sure? Like really, really sure?”

“I’m sure.”

“God, I want you too. So badly.”

He wanted to tell Patrick, right then and there, that he was the first to make him feel this way. Wanted to tell him about the users, the abusers and the losers that had made up his past romantic experiences. _Romantic. Ha! _He scoffed to himself. They hadn’t been romantic. He’d had no real idea of what romance was until this last week. Until Patrick.

”Stay with me tonight?” Patrick whispered, nudging his nose against David’s cheek. “Please?”

David squeezed his eyes shut. That weird warmth was spreading now down to his toes, to the tips of his fingers. It made him feel like he could trust Patrick when he said things like ‘_I want you_’, or ‘_I need you_’, or ‘_stay with me_’. It made him feel safe. 

“Okay,” David replied. “I’ll stay with you.”

Patrick pressed kisses to his lips, his cheek, his jaw. David nuzzled his face against Patrick's shoulder. They held one another a few moments longer, hands above the belt, until the door chimed and they stepped apart. 

“I forgot my apples.”

_Fucking Stevie_. 


	5. Fucking Delicious

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Hey,” David said, stepping over the threshold, pausing to press a kiss to Patrick’s cheek. “You look nice,” he said, gesturing to Patrick’s very plain jeans and the sweater his mom had bought him before he’d left home.
> 
> ”Uh, thank you,” Patrick replied, suddenly wishing he’d put as much effort into his appearance as David clearly had. “Um, you look...” _Fucking delicious_, his brain supplied, unhelpfully. “Really, really good,” he finished lamely.
> 
> Or
> 
> Patrick is nervous. David is sexy. There’s food. And Ray.

* * *

Patrick paced nervously around his room. David was very particular and Patrick knew that this room was not at all up to his aesthetic standards. The furniture was dated, the wall paper was covered in jarring pink roses. Not exactly the ideal setting for... well, whatever was going to happen tonight.

At least the bed was comfortable. Glancing at his neatly made bed, the butterflies that had so far been fluttering gently around his stomach began to swarm violently. 

Was he ready to do this? The thought of getting David Rose alone in his room, in his bed, was something he’d been fantasizing about practically since the day they’d met. But now that the fantasy was about to become a reality, Patrick was worried.

He wasn’t worried about David. David had been nothing but accommodating this past week, always putting Patrick’s needs ahead of his own. But Patrick was worried about himself. This was all new for him. He worried about the logistics... he’d done some online research (because of course he had) and learned about ‘tops’ and ‘bottoms’. Which was he? Which was David? What if they both wanted to be top? He sighed and dragged his fingers through his hair. He had no idea how any of this worked. And Patrick liked to know how things worked. 

He heard the doorbell ring and he took one more look around his room to make sure everything was perfect - well, as perfect as it was going to get for now - before he bounded down the stairs two at a time.

”I’ve got it!” he called out to Ray who was just coming out of the kitchen, wiping his hands on a tea towel. “It’s for me.”

”Oh, sure,” Ray said, smiling broadly at him. “I didn’t know we were expecting company.” He gestured to the kitchen. “I made lasagne, if your... _friend_... wants to join us for dinner?”

”Uh... maybe?” Patrick replied uncertainly. He honestly hadn’t factored Ray into his plans for tonight. But he didn’t want to be rude, and he and David hadn’t made any other plans for dinner...

”Just let me know,” Ray said, tossing the tea towel over his shoulder and heading back into the kitchen. 

Nodding, even though Ray had already disappeared from the room, Patrick smoothed his hand down the front of the soft blue crew-neck sweater he’d changed into after work and let out a nervous breath. He opened the door and suddenly forgot how to breathe.

David stood on the porch looking sexier than any human being had any right to look. He had clearly showered and shaved, as the five o’clock stubble that usually shaded his jawline was more subdued than it had been only a few hours earlier when they’d closed up the store and gone their separate ways. His hair was expertly tousled, not the perfectly coiffed style Patrick was used to. He wore skin tight black jeans with ragged rips at the knees, and a fitted white t-shirt. But the piece-de-resistance was the jacket. Black leather with an oversized collar and lapel and overly long sleeves that fanned out slightly at the wrists.

”Holy shit,” Patrick croaked, his voice somehow not fully cooperating. He cleared his throat and blushed at the smirk that crept across David’s face. 

“Hey,” David said, stepping over the threshold, pausing to press a kiss to Patrick’s cheek. “You look nice,” he said, gesturing to Patrick’s very plain jeans and the sweater his mom had bought him before he’d left home.

”Uh, thank you,” Patrick replied, suddenly wishing he’d put as much effort into his appearance as David clearly had. “Um, you look...” _Fucking delicious_, his brain supplied, unhelpfully. “Really, really good,” he finished lamely.

David’s lips twitched upward, his dark eyes sparkling with amusement. “So, you failed to mention that you lived with Ray,” he said, taking a step into the front room that was still set up with some of Ray’s photography equipment. His eyes lingered for a moment on the desk that Patrick had formerly occupied, where they had first met. “Should I be jealous?”

Patrick chuckled and shook his head. “No. Definitely not,” he said, closing the front door and following David into the office area. “I needed a place to live when I got to town and Ray offered me a room and a job, so...” He shrugged his shoulders, shoving his hands deep into his pockets.

”So when you offered to let me stay with you when Alexis had lice,” David mused, his tone teasing, “What exactly was your plan?”

Patrick could feel himself blushing as he shrugged again. “I don’t know,” he said honestly. “I guess I would have let you have my bed and I would have slept down here.”

”Hmm...” David hummed, dropping his bag at the foot of the stairs and turning to Patrick. “What a shame that would have been,” he murmured as he bent his head and pressed his lips to Patrick’s.

Patrick sighed happily, leaning into the kiss and letting his hands find their way to David’s hips. God, David smelled amazing. Earthy and spicy, undercut with the scent of leather from his jacket. 

Patrick’s fingers toyed with the hem of David’s t-shirt. As their kiss deepened, he longed to let his hands roam up under his shirt, up David’s back, his sides, to plunge down the back of those tight jeans...

”David!” Ray’s voice rang out, causing the two men to jump apart. Ray beamed at them. “Patrick, you didn’t tell me that David was your mystery guest!”

”Hi Ray,” David replied, awkwardly tugging his shirt down over the front of his jeans. He grimaced at Patrick. 

“Oh, um, well...” Patrick shoved his hands back into his pockets and rocked back on his heels. “David and I are... um... h-he’s going to be staying. With me. Tonight.”

To his credit, Ray’s expression never faltered from hospitable delight at the prospect of having a new person to chat with in his home. The implications of David spending the night with Patrick - in his bed - never seemed to cross his mind. 

“Well that’s nice,” Ray said. He waved the tea towel in the direction of the kitchen. “David, I was just telling Patrick that I made lasagne, if you’d like to join us.”

David had the good grace to at least pretend to give Ray’s offer some thought before he nodded his head. “Lasagne sounds great. Thank you, Ray.”

* * *

“David, can I get you some more lasagne?” Ray offered, spatula poised over the pan.

David shook his head. “Thanks, Ray. But I think three helpings is as much as I can handle tonight.”

”Patrick?” Ray offered, pointing the spatula at the remnants of their meal in the pan. “Some more for you?”

”I’m good, Ray. Thank you.”

Ray smiled broadly at them. “I’ll pack the rest of it up in some Tupperware so you boys can take it for lunch tomorrow.”

”You don’t have to do that...” Patrick began at the same time as David said:

”That’s very kind of you. Thank you, Ray.”

They grinned at one another and David extended his leg, finding Patrick’s foot under the table. He gently slid his foot up Patrick’s calf then back down again, watching as a bashful smile spread across Patrick’s face.

“You’ve been a consummate host, Ray,” David said, getting to his feet. “Patrick and I can take care of the dishes if you’d like.”

Ray scooped the last portion from the pan, placing it in a container and snapping the lid firmly in place. “That’s very generous of you, David,” he said, stacking the containers one on top of the other and placing them in the fridge. “If you’re sure you don’t mind...”

David assured him that they could manage. Ray poured himself another glass of wine and excused himself to the living room, where they could hear the faint sounds of the evening news once he flicked on the TV.

David grinned at Patrick. “And when I say _we’ll_ do the dishes,” he said, his grin widening playfully, “I really mean you.”

”Uh huh,” Patrick rolled his eyes, standing and collecting the plates from the table. “I figured as much.”

”These hands don’t do dishes,” David explained, holding his hands out in front of him and wiggling his fingers. He stepped toward Patrick and lowered his lips to Patrick’s ear. “They’re much more suited for... _other activities_,” he practically purred into Patrick’s ear, nearly causing him to drop the stack of dishes in his hands.

David took the plates and cutlery from him and placed them on the counter while Patrick stood, dumbfounded and immeasurably aroused, watching as David ran the water in the sink, added a squeeze of liquid detergent, and set the dishes into the sudsy water.

He stood back and gestured to the sink. Patrick blinked slowly at him before shaking his head, trying to remember where he was and what they were doing.

”Uh, right. Yes. Dishes,” he muttered to himself. He plunged his hands into the soapy water and began to scrub. “There’s a dish towel over there by the stove,” he said, using his elbow to indicate the direction.

”So there is.” David’s voice was soft and low and right in his ear again. Those hands - the ones that didn’t do dishes - snaked around Patrick’s waist from behind, coming to rest just above his belt buckle. He could feel David's chest pressed firmly against his back, his lips against the skin just below his ear. The feeling was new and exciting and incredibly, _incredibly_ arousing. 

Patrick tried to concentrate, but he kept dropping the fork he was trying to wash, so distracting was David’s presence in his personal space. They’d kissed many, _many_ times before, but this was different. He’d told David today that he wanted more, and he was suddenly very aware of how much David had been holding back this past week. Up until now, David had reigned in their touches, kisses and caresses. And despite Patrick’s protests, they had both known and accepted that nothing more was going to happen, at least not in the immediate future.

Now, however, Patrick was very, _very_ aware that he was being seduced by David Rose. And despite the fact that he was wearing the same boring jeans he wore nearly every day and the shirt his mom had bought him, he felt very, _very_ sexy. He realized suddenly that he had never really felt sexy before, with Rachel or any of the girls he’d dated when they’d been on their multitude of breaks. But in David’s arms, with his growing erection pressed into the swell of Patrick’s backside, his lips pressed into Patrick’s neck, his teeth gently scratching and biting behind Patrick’s ear, he felt like sex on two legs and it was _incredible_. 

“If you keep doing what you’re doing,” Patrick breathed, “I’m not going to be able to finish the dishes and we’ll never make it upstairs.”

”Would you like me to stop?” David asked, his arms tightening around Patrick’s waist and his lips lingering at his jaw. 

Patrick closed his eyes and took a steadying breath. “No,” he admitted. 

“Do you need me to stop anyway?” 

Patrick wanted to say no. But he also knew that the longer he took to do finish the dishes, the less time they’d have upstairs. “Yes.”

David pressed a kiss to his cheek and gave his love handles a squeeze before he stepped back. Glancing over his shoulder, Patrick saw him reach for the dish towel. He came to stand at Patrick’s side and picked up a plate from the rack on the counter.

Patrick nudged him with his hip and David nudged him back. It took only a few minutes, and soon they had the dishes washed, dried and put away. Patrick reached into the sink and pulled the plug while David refilled their wine glasses, handing one to Patrick before he gestured toward the kitchen door. 

“After you,” he said.

”Such a gentleman,” Patrick teased, leading the way through the front room and office space. He stopped at the foot of the stairs to pick up David’s bag.

”Not really,” David replied. “I mean, I have no idea where I’m going.” He smirked mischievously at Patrick as he took his bag and hooked it over his shoulder. “Besides, this way I get to check out your ass while you go up the stairs.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know. I am the _ worst_. I’m so, so sorry!
> 
> *skitters under the bed to avoid angry hoard due to lack of smut that was promised*
> 
> I really was going to keep going and get to the smut in this chapter, but then it would have meant waiting at least another few days for me to write and then edit. And I thought that instead, maybe I’d serve you all a little _aperitif_ today to give you a taste of what’s to come!
> 
> Please come back for the main course! It’s in the oven right now, I swear!


	6. Wow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ”Wow,” Patrick breathed before he could stop himself. David looked over his shoulder at him, one expressive eyebrow cocked questioningly. 
> 
> “See something you like?” David grinned, giving his shoulders a playful little shimmy. 
> 
> Or
> 
> Sexy times are finally here!

* * *

Patrick opened the door to his room, letting David in ahead of him. He watched as he dropped his bag on the floor beside the bed and shrugged off his jacket, revealing exactly how tight the t-shirt he was wearing beneath was.

”Wow,” Patrick breathed before he could stop himself. David looked over his shoulder at him, one expressive eyebrow cocked questioningly. 

“See something you like?” David grinned, giving his shoulders a playful little shimmy. 

“Yes,” Patrick replied honestly. He crossed the room and pressed himself against David’s back, letting his hands skim around David’s waist, coming to rest on his stomach. Unimpeded through layers of thick knitwear for the first time, he could feel the flat plain of David’s stomach beneath his fingers, muscles flexing and twitching at his touch. “You are so goddamn sexy,” he practically purred in David’s ear. “I almost came in my pants when I opened the front door for you.”

He saw David’s cheeks flush with colour and he ducked his head. “I wanted to look good for you,” he whispered shyly. “I thought maybe it was too much. Like I was trying too hard.”

”Uh uh,” Patrick assured him with a shake of his head before pressing his lips to the column of David’ s throat. “You looked perfect.” 

He felt David sigh with relief, leaning back into Patrick’s embrace. He tilted his head, allowing Patrick more room to explore his neck, his jaw. His hands settled on top of Patrick’s, lacing their fingers together. Patrick felt the cool bite of his silver rings between his fingers and lowered his face to nuzzle into the juncture where David’s neck and shoulder met. He breathed in deeply before parting his lips and sucking hard on the tender flesh, his mind reeling, groin throbbing at the moan he drew from deep in David’s throat. 

“Mmm... Patrick...” David breathed as Patrick gazed down at the mark he’d left on David’s otherwise perfect skin. Seeing the evidence of his lips on David’s body did something to him, and he brought his mouth back down to the spot and grazed his teeth across it before biting down. The sound David made as Patrick’s teeth bit into his shoulder was nearly his undoing. He pulled back, untangling his hands from David’s and gripping the hem of his shirt. 

“I wanna see you,” he said, unable to recognize his own voice, so deep and rasped with want. “Can I?”

Without a word, David raised his arms over his head and Patrick impatiently tugged the offending garment up and over his head, tossing it on to the chair where David had carefully lain his jacket. 

He groaned with longing, taking in the gorgeous expanse of David’s back. His broad shoulders, his back long and lean, narrowing down to his hips. His back was dotted here and there with a smattering of freckles that stood out against the light olive tone of David’s otherwise unmarked skin. 

“Fuck,” Patrick whimpered, his hand poised inches above David’s shoulder blade. “Can I touch you?” 

David nodded, glancing over his shoulder as Patrick’s hand skimmed down his spine, drawing a trail of goosebumps in its wake and a sharp intake of breath from David’s lips.

Patrick placed his hands at David’s waist, once again letting them slip around to rest on his stomach. His fingers sifted through the nest of hair on his belly, causing Patrick to groan and rest his forehead between David’s shoulder blades. 

“Oh my fucking God...” he murmured, letting his fingers twist and swirl their way through the wisps of curls leading up to David’s chest. He splayed his hands flat against David’s pecs, feeling the flatness, the firmness of David’s body beneath his fingers. It was so unlike touching any of his previous partners, and his body was reacting so forcefully to the newness of David’s masculinity.

Unwrapping his arms from around David, Patrick placed his hands on David’s shoulders, urging him to turn so he could see what so far only his hands had been able to enjoy. His breath caught in his throat as his eyes took in the sight before him. 

“Can we... I need to see you too...” David mumbled, grasping at Patrick’s sweater. Patrick acquiesced and tore off his shirt, throwing it carelessly to the floor at their feet. David let out a low appreciative grunt as Patrick stood bare-chested in front of him. “Damn... look at you. So gorgeous,” David murmured. He took Patrick’s face in his hands and kissed him, Patrick’s arms winding around David’s waist, revelling of the feeling of David’s upper body against his, skin to skin. 

Emboldened by David’s tongue in his mouth, the urgent moans and sighs he was making and the way David’s hands were scratching and scraping at the nape of his neck, Patrick let his hands drift down to the swell of David’s backside, fingers grasping and squeezing his firm, round cheeks. Patrick was so hard, his erection painfully pushing against the unforgiving fabric of his jeans. He didn’t think it was possible to get any harder, then David shifted his stance, edging his thigh against Patrick’s groin and gyrating against him, delicious and slow. 

Breaking their kiss, Patrick tilted his head back and let out a low, lusty moan at the friction against his already aching cock. 

“That feel good?” David’s voice was thick and rough in his ear.

”Yes,” Patrick mewled, his hands gripping David’s ass, pulling his body closer, closer, impossibly closer. “Oh God... David...”

He felt David’s lips on his ear, biting, sucking his earlobe, nipping at the tender skin of his neck, mouthing at his jawline. “I can make it feel even better,” David murmured against Patrick’s collar bone before he took the flesh between his lips and sucked hard, earning a keening whimper from Patrick’s throat. 

“Yes... please... David I want... I need...” Patrick’s brain was short circuiting, unable to verbalized his needs, his desires. “Please,” was all he could get out before his brain went offline.

Strong, steady hands took him by the shoulders, he felt the mattress against the back of his knees and he found himself sitting on the edge of the bed. He looked down to see David kneeling on the floor between his legs, hands rubbing soothingly up and down his thighs, David’s dark eyes molten with desire as he gazed up at Patrick.

“You back with me?” David asked, squeezing Patrick’s knees. Patrick nodded. “Can I... can we take off your pants?” Patrick nodded again. “Mkay, I’m going to need an actual yes or no here, Patrick,” David insisted. “There’s no wrong answer... I just need to know.”

”Y-yes,” Patrick finally managed to whisper. 

“Yes what?”

”Yes. Please. My pants. Off.”

”As you wish,” David said, his lips drawn to the side in an amused little bow. He reached for Patrick’s fly, flicking open the button and carefully easing the zipper down. Patrick breathed a sigh of relief as his cock - still encased in his boxer briefs - sprang free of the restrictive denim. 

David tugged on the jeans and Patrick lifted his hips, allowing David to pull them free of his legs. He sat back down on the edge of the bed, enraptured with the expression on David’s face.

”Well hello Mr. Brewer,” David drawled appreciatively as he gazed at the bulge in Patrick’s underwear, drawing his lower lip into his mouth and looking alluringly up at Patrick. “Can I touch?”

Patrick nodded, then at David’s warning eyebrow, said; “Yes... yes. You can touch.”

He watched as David palmed him through the fabric, palpating his length with the fingers of one hand, the other cupping his balls, giving them a gentle squeeze. Patrick’s hands came to David’s shoulders, his eyes fixated on the mark he’d left earlier. He ran his fingers over the tender skin, pinching it lightly and earning a hiss of pleasure from David. 

His hands found their way to David’s face, cupping his cheeks. He let his thumbs skim over David’s impossibly soft lips, in such contrast with the rough stubble on his cheeks and jaw. Patrick watched in awe as David opened his mouth and took one of Patrick’s thumbs between his lips, swirling his tongue around the knuckle and then sucking hard. 

“Fuck...” Patrick panted, chest heaving as he pressed his thumb deeper. “David, please... c-can you... I want...”

Releasing Patrick’s thumb with a pop, David scraped his thumbnail over the head of Patrick’s cock and the friction of the fabric against his oversensitive skin made Patrick shiver. 

“What do you want, Patrick?” David asked, pressing a kiss to the pad of Patrick’s thumb before his tongue darted out and licked where his lips had just been. “You want me to take your beautiful cock in my mouth? Is that it?”

”Yes.”

”Want me to suck you and lick you and make you feel so good?”

”Yes!” 

“You want to cum in my mouth, want me to lick you clean?”

”Yes! Yes! Fuck yes!” Patrick was practically bellowing now, not caring one iota that Ray was downstairs, or that his window was open slightly to let in the cool evening breeze and anyone walking by in that moment could have heard him beg. 

Davids eyes glinted, and he ran his tongue along his lower lip while he tucked his fingers into the waistband of Patrick’s underwear, tugging them down, encouraging Patrick to lift his hips just long enough to get them off his legs. Once off, David tossed them over his shoulder. He placed his hands back on Patrick’s thighs, and looked up at him for confirmation. 

“Yes?”

”Yes.”

Patrick watched, awestruck as David wrapped his hand around the base of his cock, then bent his head to slide his tongue across Patrick’s leaking slit. He locked eyes with Patrick as he opened his mouth and took the head of his cock between his lips and began to suck.

Of their own volition, Patrick’s fingers tangled in David’s thick, silky hair, grasping and tugging encouragingly each time David’s head bobbed lower and lower along his shaft. His tongue swirled up the underside of Patrick’s cock, flicking and teasing at the frenulum before he dropped his hand to Patrick’s balls, cupping and squeezing them between his fingers. 

Patrick thought he knew what a blowjob was supposed to feel like. But nothing in his admittedly limited experience had ever felt like this. He let out a low, lusty growl as he felt the head of his cock hit the back of David’s throat. And then David swallowed around him, again and then again, sending jolts of electricity shooting up Patrick’s spine. 

He groaned, long and loud, his thighs quivering, fingers clutching desperately at David’s hair as the heat inside him threatened to boil over. “Fuuuck... David... I’m gonna... I’m gonna... I can’t...”

He threw his head back and felt his whole body tighten with the force of his orgasm, his toes curled and his fingers clenched as he pulsed, hot and fast, into David’s unrelenting mouth.

“Uuhhhnn... Ohmygod...holy fuck...” he panted, breathless and boneless as he came down from his climax. Opening his eyes, he looked down to see David grinning up at him, looking for all the world like the cat that caught the canary. “Hey,” he said, when he was finally able to catch his breath.

“Hey yourself,” David replied, placing his hands on Patrick’s thighs and giving them a squeeze. “Do you mind?” He pointed to his head and Patrick realized he still had his fingers buried in David’s hair. 

“Sorry,” Patrick said, releasing David from his grip and flexing his fingers, stiff with their recent exertion. “Oh God... your hair...” Patrick grimaced apologetically. 

Chuckling, David shook his head. “I don’t mind,” he said, running a tentative hand through his severely disarranged locks. “I’m a big fan of hair pulling, if you want to know. You know... for future reference.” He winked at Patrick before he braced himself, hands on Patrick’s knees, and pushed himself to his feet. He winced and stumbled awkwardly to the bed, dropping down to sit beside Patrick and rubbing at his calves. “Fucking skinny jeans,” he muttered to himself. He glanced sidelong up at Patrick and grimaced. “My legs fell asleep. I’ve got pins and needles.”

”Um, do you... c-can I, um, help you... with anything?” Patrick asked, feeling awkward as he gestured at the general vicinity of David’s crotch. 

“Oh, um...” David blushed and ducked his head, suddenly bashful. “I kind of already, um...” He bit his lip and looked up at Patrick . “The sounds you were making... kind of... did it. For me.”

”Oh.” Despite the fact that he still longed to touch David, to see and feel his cock, Patrick couldn’t help but feel a little bit - okay, a lot - proud of himself. “Well then...”

David stood up and began undoing his jeans. “Um, so can I grab a quick shower, and then we can, um...” He gestured to the bed. 

Patrick nodded eagerly. “Yes. Yup. Go shower. I’ll wait here for you.”

David grabbed his t-shirt and put it on - backwards and inside out - then bent to grab his bag. He paused, pressing a tender kiss to Patrick’s forehead. ”Mkay. I’ll be quick.”

As the door closed behind David, Patrick threw himself back on his bed and grinned up at the ceiling. He felt amazing. He felt alive. For the first time in as far back as he could remember, there was no feeling of shame. No sense of unfulfillment. 

For the first time in his life, Patrick Brewer felt right. 

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I struggled with this one. I wrote so many versions of this chapter and none of them felt right. I wanted there to be a little bit of sweetness mixed in with the sexy, and I wanted it to be worth the wait. I think I’m finally happy with this version and I hope you all enjoy it too!
> 
> I have no beta. I’m sure it’s positively bedevilled with mistakes.


	7. This is New

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Patrick’s eyes flicked nervously up to meet David’s, his plump lower lip tucked tantalizingly between his teeth. It took all of David’s willpower to keep himself from leaning forward and pulling that lip into his own mouth. But, oh… Patrick was saying something. 
> 
> “And, um... we could... we could cuddle?” 
> 
> Oh. 
> 
> Or
> 
> David’s not sure what Patrick’s plans are for the rest of the evening. Patrick definitely has plans. Something David has never done before.

* * *

David used his hand to clear the fog from the mirror and took in his reflection. He ran his fingertips over his face, deciding whether or not to begin his nightly skin care regimen now, or...

He didn’t want to assume. Maybe a little light fondling and a blowjob was all Patrick had in mind for their first night together. David grinned at his reflection, more than a little proud of the very enthusiastic response he’d gotten out of Patrick. David had zero qualms about admitting that he was very, _ very _ good at sucking cock. But still, it wasn’t every day that someone was so demonstratively appreciative of his talents. 

What really surprised him was his own reaction to getting Patrick off. It had been a very long time since David had come in his pants like a horny teenager. In fact, he was pretty sure the last time he _ had _ done that, he had actually _ been _ a teenager. 

Reaching into his bag, David grabbed his soft grey lounge pants and a t-shirt. After pulling on the pants, he unfolded the shirt, realizing that in his haste to pack, he’d inadvertently grabbed the oversized shirt with the word **DON’T** printed in large block letters across the front. Feeling as though that might be sending a less than welcoming message to Patrick, he shoved it back in his bag and grabbed the t-shirt he’d worn earlier, pulling it over his head. The shirt was much tighter than he preferred wearing to bed, but it was a sacrifice he was willing to make if the way Patrick reacted to it earlier in the evening was anything to go by. 

Deciding to leave his nighttime facial regime for later, David stuffed his jeans and his sullied underwear into his bag and zipped it neatly before he flicked off the lights and stepped out into the hallway. 

“Hey,” he said as he closed the bedroom door behind himself. 

“Hey,” Patrick replied. He was sitting cross legged on his bed in a pair of blue pyjama bottoms and a white t-shirt that probably came in a three-pack from Fruit-of-the-Loom, with his laptop on his knee. He looked young and boyish and beautiful. Patrick looked up at David and smiled, and David watched as his gaze slowly roamed down David’s body, pausing at his, ahem, _ zipper region, _eyes widening. 

Realizing that the thin fabric and lighter colour of his lounge pants left little to the imagination, David’s fingers itched to tug the hem of his t-shirt down. But as Patrick’s eyes glazed over and his ears turned pink, David thought better of it.

Dropping his bag on the floor beside the door, he crossed the room and sat down on the bed beside Patrick. He leaned in and pressed a kiss to Patrick’s lips, secretly pleased at the still vacant look in Patrick’s eyes. He turned his attention to the laptop. 

“And what do we have here?” he asked. 

“Oh, um...” Out of the corner of his eye, David saw Patrick give his head a shake and blink rapidly a few times. “I thought we could maybe, um, watch a movie?”

_ Ah. So no more fooling around. _ David sighed inwardly. So he should have done his facial routine. If they were going to lay in bed and watch a movie, he knew he’d probably fall asleep and the last thing he wanted was to wake up next to Patrick in the morning looking like something that had crawled out of a dumpster. 

Patrick’s eyes flicked nervously up to meet David’s, his plump lower lip tucked tantalizingly between his teeth. It took all of David’s willpower to keep himself from leaning forward and pulling that lip into his own mouth. But, oh… Patrick was saying something. 

“And, um... we could... we could cuddle?” 

_ Oh. Well, that’s something differen_t. David honestly couldn’t remember the last time he’d cuddled up in bed with a partner to watch a movie. In fact, he was pretty sure he had never actually done... that. Usually after fooling around, he would just leave. Or ask the other person to leave. There was never any... cuddling. 

“Um... we could... yeah, we could do that.”

Patrick flashed him a relieved grin, as if he’d been worried that David would’ve run for the hills at the suggestion of a cuddle. And if it were anyone else, he probably would have. But Patrick - sweet, earnest, sexy Patrick with his button face and his bite-able lips and his thick, beautiful thighs - was worth sticking around for.

“Really?” Patrick bounced up on to his knees atop his bed and wrapped his arms around David’s neck. They were the same height in this position, and David made a mental note of how hot it was to be eye to eye with this beautiful man. 

“I get to pick the movie,” David declared, hands moving to Patrick’s hips. Patrick grinned at him and nodded eagerly before leaning in for a chaste kiss. 

“I’m gonna go make some popcorn,” Patrick said, hopping down off the bed and heading toward the door. “Make yourself comfortable. I’ll be right back.”

David watched Patrick go (he liked watching him go) and then he looked at the bed. He’d forgotten to ask if Patrick had a preferred side. Not wanting to overstep on this, his first night - hopefully of many - at Patrick’s, he remained perched on the edge of the bed and pulled the laptop toward himself. Patrick had been scrolling through the _ Action and Adventure _ category and David let out a _ tsk _ of displeasure. _ Incorrect, Patrick, _ he thought to himself, redirecting his search to the _ Romantic Comedy _section. There. Much better. 

He’d just selected _ The Proposal _ from the list when the door opened and Patrick entered, the scent of fresh, buttered popcorn wafting enticingly into the room. 

“Hey,” he said, walking around to the far side of the bed and setting the bowl down on the bedside table. “So, what’re we watching?” Patrick asked as he eased himself down onto the bed. He rolled on to his side, propped up on his elbow, his head resting in the palm of his hand. 

“The Proposal,” David said, maneuvering the laptop to the middle of the bed and lying down, mirroring Patrick.

Patrick frowned. “Yeah, this isn’t gonna work for me,” he said, sitting up. A flash of panic rose in David’s chest. 

“W-we don’t have to… we can pick something else. You can pick the movie…”

Patrick leaned forward and kissed David quiet. When he pulled back, he was smiling fondly. “Not the movie David. I couldn’t care less about the movie,” he assured, and David was momentarily affronted, letting out a squawk of protest. Sandra Bullock was a comedy goddess and _ who did Patrick think he was _?

“You’ve made your feelings on Sandra’s movies very clear,” Patrick said, his eyes looking even fonder than they did a moment ago. David realized with horror that he must have said that last bit out loud. Patrick lifted the laptop and wiggled closer to David. Close enough that their noses touched. “Hi,” he said, and pecked David lightly on the lips. “Roll onto your back.”

David did as he was asked and Patrick grabbed a spare pillow, balancing it on David’s legs and setting the laptop on top of it. Then he grabbed David’s arm and wound it around his own shoulders before snuggling cozily into his side, his head resting in the hollow of David’s shoulder. 

“Mmm… this is nice,” Patrick hummed, wrapping his arm around David’s chest and tangling his feet up with David’s. 

“Y-yeah… this is… this is very nice,” David said softly. 

Despite the fact that they were watching one of his Top Ten, Desert Island, All-Time favourite movies, he could not keep his attention on the screen. His entire body was paying attention to Patrick. He saw the way his fingers toyed with the fabric of David’s shirt; he felt the laughter rumbling in Patrick’s chest before he heard it; he smelled Patrick’s cheap drugstore shampoo and body wash. It was _ a lot _. But it wasn’t nearly enough. 

David let his cheek rest against the top of Patrick’s head, let his hand slide down so he could feel the bare skin of Patrick’s arm under his fingers. He closed his eyes and let himself feel everything. Because _ this _... this was the nicest, most intimate experience David had ever had. And he wanted to memorize every single thing about it. 

* * *

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry this has taken so long to put this chapter out into the world. I had a very rough few months and although the majority of this was written early in October, I was in no fit state to do anything with it. 
> 
> I have my lovely pals from the bar to thank for dragging me out of my pit of despair. I left a little Easter Egg in the chapter, just for you bunch of dirty birds 😉
> 
> Comments, as always, bring a smile to my face and the little boost of confidence that keeps me going.


	8. A Little Somethin’ Somethin’

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ‘Turning off the light, Patrick crept back down the hall to his bedroom and shut the door soundlessly behind him. David was still asleep, his features relaxed in a way that Patrick had never seen before. There was always something happening on David’s face, some story trying to play across his features, some emotional journey taking place just beneath the surface. And while Patrick always thought David was beautiful, it didn’t seem like enough in this moment. Ethereal? Maybe. That was closer at least.’
> 
> Or
> 
> Patrick gets frisky in the middle of the night. More sexy times!

Patrick blinked his eyes open. It was dark outside and the house was quiet. The bedside lamp was still on and his laptop was open, the movie long finished and his screensaver now illuminating the screen. He felt the gentle rise and fall of David’s chest beneath his cheek and he closed his eyes and just let himself enjoy this moment. 

Except that he’d woken for a reason, and his bladder was only going to let him enjoy the moment for so long. So it was with some urgency that Patrick carefully untangled himself from David, grabbing the laptop and snapping it closed before setting it back on his desk. Then he quietly opened his bedroom door and snuck down the darkened hall to the bathroom where he relieved himself, washed his hands and brushed his teeth. 

Before flicking off the bathroom light, he looked at his reflection. A smile began tugging at the corners of his lips. He had been so nervous about tonight; nervous about how things would go, how he would react, what David would want from him. But all of that worry seemed so silly now. David had been… God, he’d been amazing. He’d made Patrick feel amazing. Made him feel so safe and so much more  _ right _ than he’d ever felt before. And Patrick’s only regret so far was that he hadn’t been able to return the favour, as it were. 

Turning off the light, Patrick crept back down the hall to his bedroom and shut the door soundlessly behind him. David was still asleep, his features relaxed in a way that Patrick had never seen before. There was always something happening on David’s face, some story trying to play across his features, some emotional journey taking place just beneath the surface. And while Patrick always thought David was beautiful, it didn’t seem like enough in this moment. Ethereal? Maybe. That was closer at least. 

Patrick climbed into bed and wiggled as close to David as he could. He settled his head back on David’s shoulder and curled into his side, letting his hand rest on David’s chest, tracing lazy patterns on the thin fabric of his t-shirt. Patrick’s fingers meandered aimlessly until they found their way to David’s nipple and he couldn’t resist, letting his fingers draw slow, featherlight circles around that tiny, tantalizing bud. He caught his bottom lip between his teeth in concentration, both watching and feeling the nipple harden and perk under his touch. It was so different than it had been with Rachel, her breasts all softness and curves. But David’s nipples were set atop his surprisingly firm pecs, nestled in a thicket of gorgeous dark curls that Patrick longed to see and feel again. 

He’d had so little time to explore and enjoy David’s body earlier. But maybe now wasn’t… he shouldn’t be doing this. Not while David was sleeping. David had been so careful with Patrick, asking for his consent before each new touch, and now Patrick was just groping him while he was at his most vulnerable. He pulled his hand away and was about to get out of bed, put some distance between himself and David, when he felt long, gentle fingers close around his wrist. 

“Mmm… feels good,” David murmured, his voice so low and gravelled from sleep that it sent a shiver of lust down Patrick’s spine. “You can… you don’t have to stop.”

“I’m sorry,” Patrick whispered. “I shouldn’t have… I should have asked.”

David blinked sleepily at him and brought Patrick’s hand back down to his chest. “Ask me now.”

Patrick searched David’s face for any sign of hesitation, any sign that he was only humouring Patrick, that he didn’t really want this; but there was none to be found. Just David’s steady gaze, open and inviting. 

Patrick cleared his throat. “Um, can I… I’d like to touch you?”

David’s lips tilted upward and he nodded his head. “I’d like that very much, Patrick. Please touch me.”

Sliding his hand down to David’s stomach, Patrick tucked his fingers beneath the hem of his shirt. “This okay?” he asked as he let his fingers rake through the coarse hair covering David’s belly. 

“Mmm. More than okay,” David replied, his dark eyes glinting in the lamplight. 

Beneath the t-shirt, Patrick guided his fingers slowly back to David’s nipple. He pinched it, then flicked it lightly with his thumbnail, causing David to draw in a quick breath before letting out a hum of pleasure. Patrick’s pulse quickened and he did it again, then moved on to do the same to David’s other nipple. 

“Ohhhh, shit,” David murmured appreciatively. 

“Is that… do you like that?”

“Mmm… yeah. Yeah it’s good Patrick. It’s good. You’re good.”

Feeling a little bolder, Patrick gripped the bottom of David’s shirt and began pushing it upward so it gathered beneath David’s armpits, exposing his chest. Patrick bent forward and brushed his lips over one nipple, then the other. He licked them, kissed and teased them with his tongue until David was squirming beneath him and letting out the most delicious little gasps. Patrick nuzzled the thick hair at the centre of David’s chest with his nose, his lips, then went back to nip and suck David’s nipples. He felt his cock go hard almost instantly at the low, lusty moan David let out when Patrick caught his nipple between his teeth and began to flick the captured nub with his tongue. 

Patrick pulled back and gazed down at David who stared back at him with lust-hooded eyes.

“God, you’re so gorgeous,” Patrick whispered reverently, letting his hand trail tantalizingly down the centre of David’s chest, playfully circling his belly button. Patrick’s eyes were drawn to the prominent bulge in David’s sleep pants, the thin fabric leaving absolutely nothing to the imagination. He glanced up at David, licking his lips and letting his hand hover just above David’s erection. “C-can I?”

David nodded his response, then seemed to remember his own rule about verbal consent. “Yes. Yes, Patrick.”

Patrick set his palm against David’s cock and let out a low groan. He could feel David’s length, hot and hard and leaking through the fabric. Patrick’s heart skipped a beat at the thought that he’d done that, David was hard and leaking because of him. 

Patrick curled his fingers around David, marveling at the weight, dumbstruck at the feeling of finally - finally - feeling another man’s cock in his hand. And not just any man; this dazzling, sensitive, amazing man that had taken such pains to take care of Patrick, respected his boundaries, put him at ease while Patrick sorted through the complicated gamut of emotions these past few weeks as they’d negotiated their way from acquaintances to business partners to something more, something deeper. 

“I don’t know what I’m doing,” Patrick confessed in a hushed breath. “I don’t know what to do.” He felt a warm hand in his cheek and looked down at David. 

David had his lip tucked between his teeth and he lifted his hips, pressing his hardness more fully into Patrick’s hand. “What you’re doing is so good,” David assured him. “Anything you want, anything you’re comfortable trying.”

“I want… I want it to be good for you.”

David smiled up at him and lifted his hips again, and Patrick responded by curling his fingers more tightly around his clothed cock. “Yeah, baby. Like that,” David encouraged. “So good. So, so good.”

Patrick’s heart fluttered.  _ Baby? _ He had never been one for pet names - had hated it when Rachel called him  _ ‘Hon’ _ \- but hearing that word from David, directed at him? Well, he could get used to that. 

Leaning in, Patrick captured David’s lips in a heated kiss, sliding his tongue into David’s mouth and exploring the warm wet heat within. David moaned softly and his hands came up to wrap around Patrick’s neck, pulling him closer and deepening the kiss. Patrick’s head swam when David sucked on his tongue, his fingers raking through Patrick’s hair and sending delicious shivers down his spine. He tightened his fist around David’s cock and David responding by grinding his hips up into his hand. 

“Fuck,” Patrick breathed when they broke apart, letting his forehead rest on David’s heaving chest. “God, you feel so good. Everything’s about you feels good.”

“Yeah?” David asked, running his hand down from Patrick’s shoulder, his fingers enveloping Patrick’s hand on his cock. “You feel amazing, Patrick.”

Patrick loosened his hold on David, let him guide his fingers up to his waistband, gently urging Patrick to slip his fingers under the fabric. “If you want to,” David said quietly. “Y-you don’t have to…”

Patrick lifted his head and looked down and where his fingers were tucked just into the waist of David’s pants. “Can I…” he plucked at the drawstring and glanced up at David. “Can we take these off? I want… I want to see you.”

“Yeah,” David smiled, nodding his head. “Yeah, we can do that.” 

Nudging Patrick aside, David sat up and pulled his t-shirt over his head, tossing it unceremoniously onto the floor. Then he stood with his back to the bed and pushed his pants down his legs, kicking them free and off to the side next to his discarded shirt. He glanced alluringly over his shoulder at Patrick before he bent to grab his bag, unzipping it and pawing through it for a moment before withdrawing a small bottle. 

“Lube,” he said, handing the bottle to Patrick and setting his bag back on the floor. 

“David—“ Patrick began, uncertain but David placed a finger to his lips, shaking his head. 

“Not for that. We’re not ready for that yet, I don’t think.”

“Oh. Okay,” Patrick said, relieved that he and David were on the same page. 

David sat on the edge of the bed. “How do you want me? Laying down again?”

Patrick’s mind swam with all of the different ways he could touch David. But for now, for his first time, he thought it would be best to keep it simple. “Yes. Yeah. That’s… that’d be good.”

David smiled and leaned in to press a quick, comforting kiss to Patrick's lips, then settled himself back down on the bed. Patrick took a moment to appreciate the long, lean lines of David’s body laid out before him. He had thick, dark hair on his legs, and his cock - Jesus, his cock - lay hard and tantalizing on a thick but obviously manicured bed of the most gorgeous dark hair. 

Patrick looked down at the lube in his hand. “Is this for—“ he nodded in the direction of David’s erection. David smiled fondly at him.

“Let me guess… you only ever used lotion on yourself?”

There was no judgement in his voice, but Patrick felt himself blush. “Well… yeah.”

“Mmm,” David hummed, folding his arms behind his head and leaning back on his pillows. “Then this is going to change your life, Patrick,” he said, a teasing glint in his eye. 

Patrick shook his head, but dutifully flipped up the lid with his thumb and poured a generous amount of the clear liquid into the palm of his other hand. It was smooth and not at all sticky like he thought it might be. He glanced up at David who was watching him, his dark eyes focused on Patrick’s hand as it closed around his cock. David sighed and let out a long, slow breath as Patrick began to slowly move his fist up and down David’s length, coating him with lube from root to tip.

“Fuck, yeah,” David exhaled. “Mmm… oh shit. Yes.”

Patrick’s gaze oscillated between watching David’s face and watching his own hand work up and down David’s glistening cock. Both were truly sights to behold.

Patrick could feel David growing harder and thicker in his hand and he bit his lip as he watched his fingers curl over the head, then glide effortlessly back down to the root, over and over again. 

“God, that’s so hot,” Patrick said, more to himself than to a David. “Fuck, David... holy shit.”

He could feel his own arousal growing again, building like an inferno deep in his pelvis, his erection beginning to strain against his pyjamas. He let his free hand fall to his lap, idly running his fingers up and down his own length as he continued to jerk David off.

“Look at you,” David purred, and Patrick looked up to see his dark eyes focused on the very obvious tent in Patrick’s pyjama bottoms. “Touching yourself while you touch me…”

Patrick let out a low groan, wanting more friction on his own cock but not sure if his lust-addled brain was coordinated enough to do that while still working David with his other hand. “I… I need…”

“Tell me what you need, Patrick.” David’s voice was breathless.

“I don’t… I can’t…” Patrick fumbled for the words as his hand fumbled into his pants and squeezed his cock. “Fuck…”

Sitting up, David gently pried Patrick’s lubed hand from his pants before he took Patrick’s face between his palms. 

“Patrick? I want to help you. Let me help you.”

“No I… I can do it I just… God!” Patrick blew out an exasperated breath, overwhelmed with the need to touch David - to keep touching David - while at the same time getting his own pleasure. “I just… I want you… I want it all. Now.”

“I know, baby. I know,” David soothed, brushing his lips against Patrick’s sweaty forehead. “This is all new, and it’s a lot. I know.”

Patrick grunted in agreement, nodding his head, keeping his eyes averted, embarrassed. 

“Do you want to keep going? Or…” David bent his head to try and catch Patrick’s eye. “Can I… I’d like to do something with you. That I think you’ll like.” David rubbed his thumbs gently along Patrick’s jaw. “Can I… will you let me take care of you?”

“Yeah,” Patrick agreed quietly.

David’s smile was dazzling, his dimples popping and his eyes crinkling in a way Patrick didn’t get to see often. David leaned in an drew his tongue along the seam of Patrick’s lips, and Patrick darted his tongue out, feeling an electric spark when their tongues tangled together. David moved his hands to Patrick’s shoulders, pushing him gently onto his back, never breaking their kiss.

Patrick let his hands trail up David’s back as David shifted so he was kneeling astride Patrick’s hips and Patrick felt his clothed erection nestle into the cleft of David’s ass. David rocked himself slowly - so fucking slowly - against Patrick, causing Patrick’s fingers to dig into the supple flesh of David’s ass and let out a low groan. 

“David… oh God…”

David trailed his lips to Patrick’s collar bone, tongue darting out to lick in the cleft at the bottom of his throat, slowly undulating his hips in a lazy circle over Patrick’s cock. It felt so, so good, but Patrick wanted more. He wanted to feel David’s skin on his. He gripped David’s ass more tightly, squeezing his firm cheeks with his fingers as he bucked his own hips up, pressing their bodies even closer together and earning a low, lusty growl from deep in David’s throat.

Suddenly, David pushed himself up and hooked his fingers into the waistband of Patrick’s pyjama pants. “Can we lose these?” he asked breathlessly. Patrick nodded his head and lifted his hips as David practically ripped the pants off his legs, tossing them carelessly over his shoulder. 

Then David stretched his body on top of Patrick’s, nudging his thigh in between Patrick’s and bracing his hands on either side of Patrick’s head. He slowly began to undulate his body, grinding their hips together and a shiver of electricity shot through Patrick’s body. He felt David’s slick cock slide against his and he pressed his head back into his pillow and let out a shuddering breath as David continued to move. 

“Oh fuck… oh David… oh my God…” Patrick chanted, his hands desperately scrabbling along David’s back, clutching at his ass, digging in his fingernails in deep and hard. 

“You like that, baby? That feel good?” David breathed in Patrick’s ear and Patrick desperately nodded his head. He bent his knee, raising his leg and hooking it over David’s hip, pulling their bodies infinitesimally closer, the pressure building between them. 

Patrick felt his orgasm approaching like a freight train and his body tensed and he let out a long, guttural moan, turning his head to bury his face in David’s neck as he felt the warm wet of his come on his belly. 

David moaned and pumped his hips a few more times, his rhythm faltering and stuttering against Patrick’s softening cock, and then he grunted and his body went rigid as he came between them. 

“Oh my god,” David panted, his sweaty forehead pressed against Patrick’s shoulder. “Fuck.” Pushing himself up on shaky arms, David’s face hovered over a Patrick’s and they grinned at one another. David’s eyes raked over Patrick’s face, his dark eyebrows furrowed. “Was that… was that okay?”

Patrick skimmed his hand up David’s back and nodded his head, a wide smile splitting his face. “Yeah. Yeah, David. It was…  _ wow _ .”

David smiled and pressed a gentle kiss to Patrick’s lips before he carefully rolled onto his back, laying down beside Patrick. They lay side by side, staring at the ceiling and trying to catch their breaths. 

“What time is it?” David asked and Patrick turned to check his phone on his bedside table.

“It’s just after 5,” Patrick said, setting his phone back down. “Ray is gonna be up soon, so maybe we’d better grab the shower before before he gets up.”

David groaned, raising his arms over his head and stretching. “God. This is the earliest I’ve been up in like, forever.”

Patrick turned his head and smiled at David, taking in his rumpled bed head and his skin still flushed with a post-sex glow. “I’m really glad you stayed tonight, David,” he said softly. “I… this was… um, thank you.”

David kept his eyes trained on the ceiling, but Patrick could see the dimple forming in his cheek as his mouth bunched up on one side in that little lopsided smile of his. “Thank you, Patrick,” he replied, his voice barely above a whisper. “This was the nicest date I’ve been on in… well… ever.” He cast a quick glance over at Patrick before abruptly sitting up. “Um… so should I go first? Or do you want… or, you know, we could…” He waggled his eyebrows suggestively, and Patrick couldn’t help but giggle.

“Come on. Let’s go,” Patrick said, getting up and holding out a hand to pull David to his feet. “If we’re quick we can come back to bed and get a bit more sleep before we have to get up for real.”

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for hanging in there! I’m not done with this story yet. 
> 
> As always, I’d love to hear from you so please leave a comment or tap that Kudos button! And come find me on Tumblr @delilah-mcmuffin
> 
> Until next time,
> 
> D McM


	9. Good Morning, Boys!!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> David jerked awake at the hideously chipper voice. He heard Patrick groan and he turned to look over his shoulder to see Ray standing in the doorway looking far too bright and happy at such an ungodly hour of the day. 
> 
> Or
> 
> Ray happens. But also, feelings.

The shower took longer than they’d planned. David was trying very hard to wash the come and lube from his body without getting his hair wet. But Patrick kept getting distracted. Which led to David getting distracted. Which led to Patrick’s fingers combing through the hair on David’s chest, his belly, his groin. They ended up in the shower until the water ran cold.

Wrapping themselves in towels, they hurried down the hallway back to Patrick’s room and got back into bed. David curled around Patrick’s back, his hand running lightly up and down Patrick’s chest and his nose buried in the back of Patrick’s head. Their breaths evened out, deepened, until they were both fast asleep.

“Good morning boys!”

David jerked awake at the hideously chipper voice. He heard Patrick groan and he turned to look over his shoulder to see Ray standing in the doorway looking far too bright and happy at such an ungodly hour of the day.

“David, I wasn’t sure what kind of breakfast you liked so I made waffles _ and _pancakes. And there’s coffee and orange juice, and I know Patrick likes tea in the morning, and—“

“Ray!” Patrick's voice was uncharacteristically sharp. “Can we… could you give us a minute? Please?”

Unfazed, Ray’s smile brightened. “Of course! Come down whenever you’re ready!” he said, clapping his hands together merrily before he turned and went back downstairs, leaving the bedroom door open behind him.

“Jesus,” David muttered, sitting up and rubbing at the sleep in his eyes. “Is he always so… _ Ray _ first thing in the morning?”

He heard Patrick chuckle beside him and he looked over to see his bedmate stretching out on his back, his pale skin almost glowing in the early morning light peeking through the gap in the curtains. God, Patrick looked good in the morning. Like, really good. Like, David was almost contemplating skipping breakfast to spend a bit more time showing Patrick just how good he looked. 

Almost.

“Mmm,” Patrick hummed, sitting up and scrubbing tiredly at his face. “Yeah. He’s nothing if not consistent.” Patrick turned to him and smiled shyly. “Good morning.”

“Morning,” David replied softly. Patrick was looking at him so openly, so fondly. And then he was leaning in and then they were kissing and it was more than a chaste peck on the lips. Patrick’s hands curled up into David’s hair, tilting his head and tugging just so and David opened his mouth and let out a moan that, frankly, should have been embarrassing. Patrick took advantage of David’s open mouth and slipped his tongue inside, and it was Patrick’s turn to moan as David sucked on his tongue, pulling it deeper into his mouth.

“Fuck…” Patrick whispered when they drew apart to catch their breaths. “I thought you weren’t a morning person.”

David grinned slyly. “When properly motivated, I can be.”

He was about to kiss the smug look off Patrick’s face when he was callously interrupted.

“Knock, knock!” Ray trilled, standing in the open door again. David clutched the blankets up to cover his chest. He did not need Ray seeing his nipples, especially not this early in the morning. “Breakfast is getting cold, boys!”

David growled quietly in the back of his throat and Patrick shot him an apologetic glance before he turned to Ray.

“Yup. Be right down. Thanks, Ray.”

Ray stood in the doorway, still beaming at them. 

“Uh… could you… we just need a minute, Ray. We’ll be down in just a sec,” Patrick said, a note of impatience creeping into his voice. 

Ray’s head bobbed enthusiastically. “Great! I just don’t want your breakfast to get cold. Pancakes and waffles are best when they’re nice and hot, wouldn’t you agree, David?”

“Sure,” David grumbled, pulling the bedspread up even higher, bunching it up under his chin. He was feeling very exposed under Ray’s intensely earnest gaze. 

“I’ll just pop them into the oven to keep them warm then,” Ray said before he turned to leave.

“Ray!”

“Patrick!” Ray popped his head back in through the open door.

“Could you close the door? Please?”

“Oh! Of course!”

Ray beamed at them once more before he carefully shut the door behind himself.

“Is he… does he do that _ every _ morning?” David asked, aghast.

Patrick grimaced apologetically. “Not _ every _ morning. Sometimes he stays overnight in Elm Glen at his sister’s.”

“Oh, you poor thing.”

“Yeah, well. If you don’t want him to come up here again, we’d better get dressed and go downstairs,” Patrick said, shoving the blankets off and getting out of bed. 

“Do I have time to make myself presentable?” David asked, flinging the blankets off himself and reaching for his lounge pants. Patrick smiled at him. 

“You’re already presentable,” he said. “You look fine, David.”

David grimaced. “_ Fine _ is not exactly the aesthetic I was aiming for,” he grumbled, pulling his t-shirt over his head. “I just have a quick routine I do in the morning. It’ll just take me 15… maybe 20 minutes.” Patrick’s eyebrows shot up. “W-what?”

“What could you possibly do to yourself that takes 20 minutes before breakfast?”

“Beauty takes time and commitment, Patrick. My look doesn’t just _ happen _ . It’s a carefully curated process involving, uh, _ several _steps.”

“Okay, well I’m going to wash my face and go have breakfast. If you take longer than 10 minutes I’m going to eat yours too.” Patrick winked at him and left the room.

“You wouldn’t dare,” David called after him, gathering up his toiletries and following Patrick to the bathroom. He watched Patrick wash his face with _ hand soap - _ they were definitely going to have a conversation about _ that _\- and had to bite back a gasp of disgust. After drying his face, Patrick leaned in and pressed a kiss to David’s lips.

“Ten minutes,” he gently reminded David before he bounded energetically down the stairs. David sighed and began to line up his facial products on the counter, quickly trying to decide which steps he could skip. 

Eleven minutes later, David descended the stairs and peered into the kitchen. Patrick was sitting at the table with the remains of a stack of pancakes in front of him along with a steaming cup of tea and a glass of orange juice. He looked up at David as he sat down next to him.

“Ooh. Just beat the buzzer, David,” he chided before shovelling the last mouthful of pancake into his mouth. Ray set a plate of waffles in front of David, topped with a dollop of butter and a generous pour of syrup. 

“Morning David,” Ray said cheerily. “Coffee?”

“Yes please,” David said, digging into the waffles. They were fluffy and hot and sweet and wonderful. He closed his eyes and let out a contented sigh. “Mmm… these are delicious, Ray. Thank you.”

Ray grinned at him, obviously pleased. “What do you take in your coffee?”

“Two sweeteners if you have them, and a little cream, please.”

Ray frowned. “I only have sugar,” he said. “But I can get sweeteners if… well, if you’ll be staying over again.”

“Um…” David looked nervously over to where Patrick was sitting, sipping his tea. They hadn’t talked about that yet. Whether this was something that would be happening again, or if this was just a one-time thing. He hoped it would be happening again, but he had made the mistake of assuming in the past and had learned that lesson the hard way. Many, _ many _ times. But the way Patrick was smiling at him over the lip of his mug, his cheeks and ears tinged with pink, made David think that maybe... 

“You don’t have to do that, Ray,” Patrick said, setting down his mug and reaching for David’s hand. “I’ll make sure we have sweetener for David. For next time.”

_ For next time. _David bit his lip and dropped his gaze to his partially eaten stack of waffles. A funny, warm feeling began to spread from his chest, down his arms and legs until his fingers and toes were tingling.

_Next time._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry this took so long! Just after I posted the last chapter, I lost my job (of 15 years) due to “restructuring” and kind of disappeared into a funk of depression. And then all this (gestures to the dumpster fire that is the world right now) happened. It’s been *a lot* to handle. 
> 
> But getting to take these boys out and play with them has been my saving grace. It’s kept me sane. As have my marvellous pals at The Rosebud. You’re a stone-cold pack of weirdos and I love you all so much.


	10. Use Your Words

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> David frowned, then sighed. He bent again to finish collecting the dirt into the dustpan when he heard a thunk from behind him. He turned to see Patrick bent over the counter again, his fingers covering his face. 
> 
> Patrick groaned into his hands. “I just… God, David. Y-you can’t just do stuff like that w-when I’m… I’m…”
> 
> “Do stuff like what? Clean?”
> 
> Or: The day after their first night together, both the boys are struggling to remain professional in the store.

“_So_?”

“So? What?”

“I heard from Alexis that _ somebody _ didn’t come home last night,” Stevie said, an obnoxious grin on her face. 

David rolled his eyes and went back to scrolling on his phone. 

“David!”

“_Ohmygod_, what? What?!?” David exclaimed, flinging his phone down on the counter and glaring at Stevie. 

She raised her eyebrows at him, her head cocked to one side. “Oof. That bad, huh?”

“Ugh. You're a terrible person, you know that?” David griped, crossing his arms over his chest. 

“So I’ve been told,” Stevie replied, her lips twitching up into a knowing smile. “Come _ on_, David! You gotta give me something! I’ve been watching the two of you make googly eyes at each other for months, and I listened to you swoon about ‘_Patrick this,’ _ and ‘_Patrick that_’.” She fixed him with a piercing stare. “Don’t clam up on me now, Rose. I’ve _ earned _ some details.”

“Okay, first of all? I have never _ swooned _ about anything or anyone in my entire life,” David said primly. “Swooning is for Victorian maidens in classic romance novels.” It was Stevie’s turn to roll her eyes. “And _ secondly,” _David continued, “I… am a gentleman. And not one to kiss and tell.”

“Bullshit. If you’re a gentleman, then I’m a fluffy pink bunny.”

David wrinkled his nose. “Ew. Why is the bunny pink? Is it sick?”

With an exasperated shake of her head, Stevie sighed and threw her hands in the air. “It doesn’t matter why the bunny is… fuck. David!” She narrowed her eyes at him. “I know you’re dying to tell someone. And your sister doesn’t want to hear about your sexcapades with Patrick. So that leaves me. Now spill.”

Tipping his head back, David scrunched up his face. She was right, of course. But she didn’t need to know that.

Finally he lowered his head and met her gaze, her brown eyes twinkling with barely concealed curiosity. “Fine! Ugh!” He grumbled before the smile he’d been trying so hard to hold back began to spread across his face. “It was…” Now that he had to describe it, he found himself - for the first time in a very long time - at a loss for words. “It was nice. Very, very nice.”

Stevie raised her eyebrows. “_Nice_? Um… wow. I mean, don’t hold back.”

David grimaced and shook his head. He wasn’t explaining this properly. He didn't know how to explain it, even to himself. “No, it’s… it’s never… I've never _ had _ nice. Before. No one’s ever… _ been _ nice. With me. So, it was… it was. Just. Really nice. And I liked it. A lot.”

Stevie was looking at him now like maybe _ he _ was the fluffy pink bunny. “I’m really happy for you,” she said softly, her voice disconcertingly sincere. “You deserve nice.”

David tucked his lips into his mouth and nodded, averting his eyes. “Thank you.”

Stevie cleared her throat and her face reset back to its usual half-scowl. “Well, I’ve officially reached my daily limit for feelings, so I’m gonna go,” she said. “Any chance you have a bottle or three of wine lying around at a steep discount for a good friend?”

David smirked. “I’ll give you three for the price of four.”

“Fuck you.”

“Is that how people say ‘thank you’ where you’re from?”

They grinned at one another across the counter. David, being the kind and generous person that he was, handed over two bottles of wine at cost, which Stevie promptly stuck in her messenger bag. 

“Best wishes,” she said and she turned to go, just as Patrick came in carrying his and David’s lunch order. 

“Hey Stevie!” he said cheerfully. “Beautiful day, isn’t it?”

“Yes,” Stevie said, catching David’s eye as she walked out the door. “It’s a very _ nice _ day.”

David gave her the finger. “Warmest regards,” he shot back just as the door closed behind her. Then Patrick was standing in front of him looking so sweet and fond. 

“What were you and Stevie talking about?” Patrick asked as he pulled two take out containers from the plastic bag he’d been carrying. 

“Oh just, you know… the usual,” David said airily with a wave of his hand.

Patrick smiled shyly at him as he handed David his BLT. “It’s okay if you told her,” Patrick said. “About, um, about last night.”

David felt his cheeks infuse with heat. “Oh, uh, we weren’t… I didn’t…” Patrick raised his eyebrows at him, giving him a knowing look. “I may have confirmed that some… things happened. And, um. That I liked it a lot.”

Patrick smiled shyly and ducked his head. David couldn’t help but think that the way his ears turned pink was probably the cutest thing he’d ever seen. 

“Um, well, let the record show that I also liked what we did last night,” Patrick said softly, his eyes going all heart-shaped and fond as he shifted from foot to foot. “A lot.”

And it took all of David’s self control not to melt into a puddle of warm liquid goo right there behind the till. 

* * *

By 2 o’clock in the afternoon, David was exhausted. Being woken before the sun that morning was really starting to take its toll on him. Not that he was complaining. Far from it. He would gladly wake up every morning at the crack of ass if it meant he got to feel Patrick’s hands on him, got to touch him and feel him and make him come. 

Well, maybe not _ every _ morning. But a little bleary-eyed tiredness was a small price to pay for the way Patrick had been looking at him all day, like he was a snack Patrick was just waiting to devour. It was insanely hot. And the willpower it took not to grab Patrick by his fugly little braided leather belt and drag him into the back for a much-needed make out session was probably what was sapping David’s energy the most. 

“You okay?” Patrick's voice was so close, and his hand was rubbing David’s back so gently. 

“Mmm… just a little tired,” David replied, pushing himself up from where he’d been lounging lazily on his forearms at the front counter. He straightened up and turned to face Patrick, who was staring back at him with his wispy little brows all bunched up in concern. God, he was so adorable that it actually hurt. Patrick slid his hands to David’s hips and gave them a little squeeze. “I’ll be fine. Just need a little mid-afternoon pick-me-up.” David gave his shoulders a little shimmy in time with each word and watched as Patrick’s face morphed from one of concern to one of pure fondness. 

“You want me to run and get you a coffee from the cafe?” Patrick offered. 

David shrugged his shoulders. “You don’t have to do that,” he said. “I can go.”

Patricks fond little smile widened. “I know you can, David. But I’m the one that woke you up extra early this morning, remember?”

“How could I forget?” David replied. He heard the purr in his voice. He hadn’t meant to do that. It had just… happened. He glanced up at Patrick’s face. The fondness was still there, but there was something in his eyes now that threatened to override it. Something that looked a lot like lust darkened Patrick’s eyes as he ran the tip of his tongue along his bottom lip.

David felt Patrick’s hands slide from his hips to the small of his back, fingers rucking up the back of his shirt until they made contact with skin. A zap of electricity thrilled through David’s body and he bit his lip, looking coyly at Patrick through lowered lashes as he walked his fingers up his arms, along his shoulders, until he could wind his arms around Patrick’s neck. 

“Fuck, David…” Patrick whispered against David’s lips before he captured them in a kiss that took David’s breath away and had him feeling lightheaded and seeing stars. Patrick’s hands slid up his spine, then he dragged his blunt fingers back down until he could slide his hands into the back pockets of David’s jeans. 

David vaguely registered that making out like this might _ not _ be entirely on brand for the store. He walked Patrick backward through the curtain, taking hold of him by the shoulders and turning him, shoving him roughly up against the brick wall. Patrick’s eye flew open, his pupils blown wide and he let out a startled “fuck, David,” before he leaned forward to devour David’s mouth. 

David raked his fingers through Patrick’s hair, revelling in the groan drawn from deep in Patrick’s chest, the way Patrick’s fingers tightened and squeezed David’s ass. David moved so he could slot his thigh in between Patrick’s, who wasted no time in grinding his burgeoning erection against David’s pelvis.

“You’re so goddamn sexy,” Patrick murmured as he broke their kiss, his mouth sliding along David’s jaw, his teeth nipping at David’s earlobe in a way that made David’s knees go weak. “I need to get you naked again. When—“

_ Ding ding. _

“Fuck!” Patrick groaned, resting his head against David’s shoulder, both of them panting heavily. 

“To be continued?” David whispered in Patrick’s ear. 

“Yeah. Yes.” 

David gently cupped Patrick’s face in his hands, bending to peck him lightly on the lips. “I’ll go. You… calm down.”

Patrick frowned adorably and opened his mouth to say something, but David was already parting the curtain to greet their customer.

* * *

The rest of the afternoon passed by uneventfully. Customers came and went, Patrick kept eyeing David longingly and David kept trying to think unsexy thoughts to keep his dick in check.

By the time David locked the door and flipped the sign to ‘Closed’ behind the last customer of the day, they were both wrecked. Patrick busied himself with the cash box and David grabbed the broom and dustpan to give the store a quick tidy before they could officially call it a night. He was just bending down to gather the last of the grit and dirt in the dustpan when he heard Patrick swear from the front counter. 

“Goddammit!”

David turned to find him with his elbows on the counter and his head in his hands. 

“You okay?”

“Nothing. It’s nothing,” Patrick mumbled, pushing himself up and stabbing at the buttons on the POS terminal for their credit card totals. 

David frowned, then sighed. He bent again to finish collecting the dirt into the dustpan when he heard a thunk from behind him. He turned to see Patrick bent over the counter again, his fingers covering his face. 

Patrick groaned into his hands. “I just… God, David. Y-you can’t just do stuff like that w-when I’m… I’m…”

“Do stuff like what? Clean?”

Patrick groaned again and looked up at David, his eyes wide and his face flushed. “No! L-like just… ugh. Nevermind.”

David frowned and looked down at the dustpan in his hand. “Sorry, Patrick. But I don’t… was I doing it wrong? Or…”

“You were just… just bending over! W-with your ass just, like, right in front of me!” Patrick exclaimed, waving his hands dramatically in front of him. David decided that Patrick was _ very _ cute when he was flustered.

“Mkay, so… how would you rather I pick up the dirt from the floor?” David asked, trying hard to keep himself from smirking. “Should I have gotten down on all fours, or—“

Patrick growled - fucking _ growled _ \- at him before he punched the button to open the cash drawer, grabbing the cash tin and stalking off behind the curtain. David stood staring at the spot where Patrick had just been standing, hoping that he hadn’t pushed too far, when Patrick’s disembodied voice sounded from behind the curtain: “Get in here, David!”

A shiver ran down David’s spine, pooling low in his belly at the demanding tone in Patrick’s voice. His mouth gaped open, then snapped closed. He stood frozen on the spot for a few moments, his heart beating wildly in his chest. With a quick shake of his head, he finally snapped out of his daze, leaning the broom against the wall and quickly dumping the contents of the dustpan into the garbage can beneath the counter. With a shaking hand he reached out to push aside the curtain, peering into the dimly lit room. 

Before he could brace himself, Patrick’s hands were on him, gripping his waist, pulling him deeper into the room, pushing his back roughly against the wall. He let out a quiet “oof”, but further conversation was drowned out by Patrick’s mouth, his tongue plunging between David’s lips, probing, taking, desperately plundering. David whined in the back of his throat at the way Patrick’s hands roved over his body, clutching and grabbing, slipping beneath his sweater; fingernails scraping, deep enough to leave marks that David knew would still be there in the morning.

“Patrick… oh my God…” David panted when Patrick’s lips began meandering to his jaw, to nibble at his earlobe, to suck on the mark he’d left on David’s shoulder the night before. David could feel Patrick’s cock already hard, and he was rocking his hips against David’s, and the feeling when their cocks aligned made David let his head fall back against the wall, his own pelvis moving of its own accord, matching Patrick’s rhythm. It felt so good - so goddamn good - and Patrick was… he was still so new to all of this.

“How are you doing this to me?” David breathed, his hands moving to clutch at Patrick’s shoulders, the nape of his neck.

“I want you to feel good David,” Patrick replied, his own voice sounding just as wrecked as David felt. “You make me feel like… I feel… you just...” Patrick's voice trailed off, his breath hot and hard against David’s neck. 

“I know. I know, me too,” David replied as he set his fingers to work unbuttoning Patrick’s shirt.

“I can’t… God, I want you all the time,” Patrick husked as he tugged at the neck of David’s sweater to nip at the mark he’d made the night before. And Jesus… it felt so good David forgot to reprimand him for stretching out the neck of his knitwear. “I’ve… I’ve never wanted someone like I want you David. And after last night I just… I need you. I need you so bad!”

David let his head fall back with a thunk against them wall as he hurriedly tried to shove Patrick’s shirt from his shoulders. But Patrick’s arms were firmly wound around David’s waist, hands clawing and scratching at his back, and David gave up with the shirt tangled around Patrick’s biceps. The feeling of nails against his skin, digging in, was driving him wild and his jeans were far too tight and they were both wearing far too many clothes. Patrick continued to roll his hips, humping against David’s thigh, his groin, at an almost frantic pace.

“Oh my God… Patrick… Patrick…” David breathed. God, he was going to come in his pants again if he didn’t slow things down, like _ right now. _ “Baby… Baby stop. Stop.”

It was like he’d thrown a bucket of cold water on Patrick. His hands instantly retreated and he took a step back, his eyes wide and his mouth parted as he panted. “I’m sorry! Sorry, David. I’m so sorry!”

“Shhh,” David soothed, taking a tentative step toward Patrick, placing a calming hand on his jaw and gently smoothing his thumb over Patricks cheek. “It’s okay, Baby. I just… God, you got me so hot.” He leaned in and pressed his lips to Patrick’s in a gentle kiss. “I didn’t want it to be over before we really even got started.”

“Yeah. Yes. Th-that's good.” Patrick nodded his head, still panting. His eyes flicked down to David’s lips. 

Taking another step closer, David gripped the front of Patrick’s half-removed shirt and finally shoved it all the way down his arms, flinging it carelessly over his shoulder. He watched Patrick’s eyes track its progress before returning to David. 

“I’m gonna make you feel so good, Baby.” David noticed the way Patrick’s pupils dilated further at the use of the pet name. “Mmm. You like that? When I call you Baby?”

Mutely, Patrick nodded. He swallowed hard. “It’s so hot,” he rasped. “But, um… not all the time? Just… just when…” 

“Just during _ sexy time_?” David suggested with a flirty little wiggle. Patrick grinned at him.

“Yeah.”

David leaned in and ran his tongue along Patrick’s lower lip. “Mkay… Baby,” he murmured into Patrick’s mouth before pulling him in for another kiss. Patrick moaned and his hands reached for David, winding their way once again up under his sweater. 

“C-can I… I want to—“ Patrick began, cutting himself off and dropping his forehead against David’s shoulder. 

“What do you want?” David asked, smoothing his hands along Patrick’s shoulders, running his fingers through the short hairs on the nape of his neck. Patrick whimpered and nuzzled his face into David’s neck. “Come on, Baby. Tell me and I’ll try to make it happen for you.”

David felt Patrick’s breath, hot and heavy against his skin. He didn’t want to press Patrick. He’d gotten the sense that for some reason, asking for what he wanted in bed was not something Patrick was used to. The thought made David’s heart ache. Patrick was so confident in every other area of his life. So smart, so quick witted, so self assured. David assumed that being closeted for so long had left him unused to getting the satisfaction he needed from his partner. Or partners. And it struck David that maybe that was a conversation they should have. Although talking about Patrick’s past would inevitably lead to a discussion about David’s past, which… Hmm. Maybe not. At least not yet. He was really enjoying being with Patrick. No sense in throwing all that away just yet.

He gently took Patrick’s face in his hands, offering a smile that he hoped expressed how ready he was to give Patrick whatever he needed in that moment. “What do you want? You want me to touch you?” Patrick shook his head. “Okay. Do you want to touch me?” Patrick nodded. “Okay, Baby. That’s good. So good.” David pressed a kiss to the tip op Patrick’s nose. “Now I just need you to say the words. Say ‘David, I want to—‘“

“I want to suck your cock,” Patrick blurted out, the force of his words startling David. Patrick grimaced. “Um… if that’s… if that would be okay,” he said softly.

David smiled and gently stroked the soft skin of Patrick’s cheeks with his thumbs. “I would very much like it if you’d suck my cock, Patrick.”

Patrick bit his lip and blushed, the colour travelling down his neck and flushing across his smooth chest. And yup. Patrick is very, _very_ cute when he’s flustered. “I won’t… I don’t know how. O-or what you like.”

“Just think about what you like,” David suggested. “And just… do that. I mean, no matter what you do, your mouth on my cock is going to be spectacular. Just… you know. Don’t bite me.”

Patrick laughed and nodded his head. “Okay. I think I can manage that.” Patrick tightened his arms around David’s waist and he leaned in to claim David’s mouth with his own. His tongue probed gently for entrance and David parted his lips, sighing as he let Patrick in. The kiss was far less frantic than earlier, but no less satisfying. David felt his erection - which had flagged somewhat after nearly exploding in his pants - spring back to life. He gently rocked his hips against Patrick, letting him know that he was ready to go, whenever Patrick was ready.

“Mmm… God your mouth is so good,” David murmured. “I want it on my cock, Baby.”

“Yeah. Okay. Yes,” Patrick replied, his hands moving to the fly of David’s jeans. 

“How do you want to do this?” David asked, flapping Patrick’s hands away from the complicated fastenings on his pants, wishing he’d chosen to wear joggers, or at least something with easier access for Patrick. When he got the third zipper open, he glanced up at Patrick. “You want me sitting on the couch? Here against the wall?”

“Um… the couch,” Patrick said decisively. 

David went to the couch and sat gingerly on the dingy upholstery, his fly open and his cock encased in his boxer briefs bulging from the opening. He crooked his fingers invitingly at Patrick. “C’mere.”

Patrick dropped to his knees between David’s legs and David groaned as Patrick’s broad shoulders caused him to spread his legs wider to accommodate him. 

“Wow,” Patrick said, eyes focused on the silky black fabric of David’s briefs. “God. David.” He slid his hands up David’s thighs and his fingers paused at DavidMs open fly. Hooking his fingers in the front of David’s jeans, he tugged and David lifted his hips, allowing Patrick to slide them down his legs. There was an awkward moment where David tried to kick off his pants before he realized he was still wearing his shoes. Giggling, Patrick stilled David’s legs, unlacing his shoes and sliding them from his feet before dragging the jeans off, carefully setting them aside before he turned his attention back to David. He skimmed his hands up David’s thighs again and David hummed with pleasure at the feeling of Patrick’s hands against his bare skin.

Patrick’s fingers slid further up, up inside the leg of David’s boxer briefs. Leaning forward, he buried his face in the fabric of David’s underwear, nuzzling his cheek against David’s clothed cock, a happy little hum emanating from his mouth, buzzing against David’s very interested erection and causing him to bite his lip and let his head fall back against the back of the couch. 

“Mmm… you smell so good,” Patrick murmured as his nose brushed against the tip of David’s cock. And fuck if that wasn’t the hottest thing David has ever heard come out of Patrick’s mouth. He zeroed in on the wet spot where David was already leaking. “God, I can’t believe that this is for me. All for me.”

Suddenly Patrick hooked his hands behind David’s knees and he yanked hard, earning a breathy “Fuck, that’s hot” from David while pulling David’s ass right to the edge of the couch cushion. David groaned and slouched down on the couch, his legs splayed even wider for Patrick. 

“Off. Off! These need to come off,” Patrick muttered, more to himself than to David as he grabbed the waistband of David’s _ very _expensive underwear and pulled it up and over his cock. So turned on was he that David didn’t even bother to scold Patrick for his very incorrect treatment of his luxury designer briefs. He just raised his hips and Patrick dragged them off his legs, tossing them onto the couch beside David. 

And then he leaned forward, brushing his lips along David’s length and the feeling was _ everything. _David’s fingers itched to be in Patrick’s hair, desperate to guide his mouth to where he needed to feel him. Instead his fingers gripped the edge of the cushion as Patrick continued to tease and lick and taste David, driving him absolutely wild. God, he was going to come again just from this.

“Mmm… Baby please. Please. It feels so good,” David pleaded through gritted teeth. It wasn’t what he wanted to say, but his mouth and his brain didn’t appear to be on speaking terms, at the moment so he had to hope that Patrick would get the message.

And he did. With a final lick from balls to tip, Patrick took him into his hot, wet, beautiful mouth and nope. David has been wrong before._ This _ was everything. This feeling, of having this man who had carefully inserted himself into David’s life - pursued him, teased him, trusted him, _liked _him - with his mouth around his cock was everything. David closed his eyes and let the feeling of Patrick envelope him.

Patrick was busy swirling his tongue around the head, sucking gently, occasionally bobbing his head to take in a bit more of David’s length. And he was clearly enjoying himself if the way he was humming and moaning was anything to go by. His fingers kneaded David’s thighs, one hand tentatively sliding up between David’s legs to cradle his balls. David let out a long, low moan as Patrick’s fingers carefully pulsed around his sack.

“Is this okay?” Patrick asked, breathing heavily as his mouth came away from David’s cock with a wet pop.

“Yeah, Baby. So good. You’re so, so good.”

Patrick gave his balls a gentle squeeze. “I, um… I don’t know how…” He trailed off, grimacing apologetically. “I can’t fit all of you in my mouth.” 

David grinned back at him. “So you’re saying…”

“Your dick is too big for my mouth, David,” Patrick deadpanned. 

David couldn’t help but smirk at that, earning himself an eye roll from Patrick. “Gimme your hand,” David said and Patrick looked down at where his hands were on David’s thigh and his balls, respectively. “Yeah, no, that hand can stay exactly where it is.” David nodded to the hand between his legs. “Gimme that one,” he directed, taking Patrick’s hand from his thigh and wrapping it around the base of his cock. “Just, there… like that,” he sighed as Patrick squeezed his cock and began to jerk him slowly. “Mmmm. Yeah. Just… just like that and then you can… with your mouth… oh God…”

David sank back against the couch as Patrick lowered his mouth to his cock once more, his head bobbing down to meet his hand, over and over again. He couldn’t take his eyes off Patrick’s lips, stretched wide around his dick, pink and slick with saliva mixed with David’s own wetness. “Jesus. Patrick, your mouth is fucking perfect…” His hips jerked as Patrick began to find his rhythm, his tongue swirling along the vein that ran along the underside of David’s cock. “Holy fuck… just like that… just like that…”

Patrick pulled off the head of his cock with a wet pop and stared up at David as his hand continued to work his length. “That good?”

“So good.”

“Call me Baby again, David.”

“Fuck. So good, Baby. You feel so good.”

“Mmm…” Patrick hummed happily as he took David in his mouth again, and David couldn’t help himself. He finally let his fingers find their way into Patrick’s hair, gently tugging and scratching at his scalp, causing Patrick to moan around his cock as he hollowed out his cheeks and sucked _ hard. _

And suddenly David found himself there, teetering on the edge of an orgasm that had come so much quicker than he expected. He pawed and pet at Patrick’s head as the intensity built deep inside him. “Fuck… Baby, I’m gonna come. I’m gonna come!” 

He expected Patrick to pull off, let David come in his hand. But he continued his relentless bobbing and twisting and sucking and moaning, and David came, bursting into Patrick’s mouth until it was full and he popped off, swallowing thickly as David spilled the last few drops over his fist. 

“Wow,” Patrick breathed, watching as David’s dick continued to twitch in his loosened fist. He lowered his head and gently lapped the remnants of David’s orgasm from his slit, then brought his hand to his mouth and licked his fingers clean. “God, you taste so good.”

David made a strangled noise in the back of his throat. His head was still muzzy and his limbs were still tingling and useless in the afterglow of his climax. He gracelessly lunged forward, sending Patrick sprawling into his back on the floor, David straddling his thighs. He grumbled and swore as his stupid, clumsy fingers fumbled with Patrick’s stupid ugly belt. But then it was unclasped and David popped the button on his fly and lowered the zipper before he shoved his hand down into Patrick’s briefs and began to stroke his hot, hard length. Patrick writhed and trembled beneath him, coaxing him on with cries of ‘more’ and ‘yes’ and ‘David’ until he came in David’s hand, panting and sweaty and grinning up at David so, so satisfied.

When they’d both caught their breaths and David had washed his hands after cleaning them both up, Patrick refastened his jeans and graced David with that teasing little fond smile.

“What?” David asked, sitting down on the couch again to put on his shoes.

“Just… seemed like you enjoyed yourself,” Patrick replied with a smug little shrug of his shoulders.

“Oh. Well… it was alright,” David said flatly, although he knew the smile on his face gave him away. 

Patrick did up his belt and shoved his hands into his ridiculously tight pockets, rocking back and forth on his heels as David searched between the cushions of the couch for his other sock. “So… did I pass?”

David looked up at him, a bemused smile on his face. Patrick stared back at him, a strange mixture of nonchalance and nerves on his face. “Yes Patrick,” David said, triumphantly pulling his lost sock out from beneath the couch. “You passed ‘_Blowjobs 101_’.” He shoved his foot into his sock and put on his shoe. He paused and glanced up at Patrick. “Barely,” he teased. “I might have to assign you some homework. Extra credit. You’ll have to study _ hard _ if you want to pass the final exam.”

He’d been joking, but the look in Patrick’s eyes - glazed over and a little dreamy - told him he’d hit his mark. “God… that’s a thing for you, isn’t it?”

Patrick just shrugged his shoulders and blushed. “I like being top of the class. Teacher's Pet.”

David closed his eyes and shook his head. “You said slow,” he said, getting to his feet. “Plying me with role play scenes this early on… fuck. That is not slow.”

Patrick shrugged again, then sat at the desk to count out the till. David paused, then bent and pressed a kiss to Patrick’s cheek. “A plus,” he whispered in Patrick’s ear, smirking to himself at the way Patrick faltered in counting out the bills. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I needed to get this written before the *sobs* finale tomorrow. There are probably a ton of errors, but you know what? I don’t care. It’s late (or very early) and I’m tired. 
> 
> I do sincerely hope you enjoyed this chapter! And I hope you are all somewhere safe and finding ways to stay sane and healthy. 
> 
> Love to you all!


	11. How Can I Help?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> David tipped his head back and gave an exaggerated shudder. “So, I’m going to be an uncle,” he groaned, arms flailing dramatically, nearly knocking over a display of hand cream that had taken Patrick close to an hour to put together.
> 
> Or
> 
> Desperate times call for desperate measures.

The store was slow in the mornings. It wasn’t something that made Patrick particularly happy, but it did give him the chance to putter around on the spreadsheet he’d been working on, so the morning wasn’t a total loss.

David had texted earlier with some vague words about a _ thing _ he had to deal with regarding his family, leaving Patrick to mind the store, tend to their—few and far between—customers, and dawdle away the first part of the morning. He’d dusted, he’d restocked, and now he was adding things to his spreadsheet.

He felt a little twinge of guilt for using the laptop he’d insisted was for “work stuff only, David” to do something completely non-work-related. But he had a sneaking suspicion that if David ever found out about this particular spreadsheet, he wouldn’t mind, entirely. He’d razz Patrick about it, for sure. But eventually he’d come around to see the merits of plotting out in careful, neat and orderly rows, all of the things he wanted to do to David. And for David to do to him.

Some of them they’d covered already. Blowjobs (both giving and receiving) had several gold stars beside the entries, indicating that they’d been enthusiastically given and received. The same went for handjobs, frotting, and mutual masterbation. 

These were things that were easy to do, when alone time and privacy were at a premium. Which they were. Patrick didn’t want to use the word _ desperate _ just yet—that seemed a tad dramatic—but it was a near thing. 

They had his bedroom at Ray’s where the door didn’t lock and Ray had a cursory-at-best understanding of the word “knocking”. And there was no privacy at the motel. Someone always seemed to be in one of the Roses’ rooms and Patrick had found out first hand just how paper-thin the walls were when he and David had been watching a movie and making out on his twin bed one night. A low moan from Mr. and Mrs. Rose’s room had made David shoot out of the bed like a bullet from a gun, covering his ears and shoving his feet into his shoes while shouting at Patrick that they needed to “get the fuck out of here. Now!”

Aside from that, they had Patrick’s car and the Rose family’s old Lincoln. And the back room here at the store, where the couch was lumpy and the walls were lined with shelves that they had recently discovered were not made to be hung on to while your business partner sucked your cock. Patrick idly rubbed at the bruise on the back of his head, from the box of candles that had landed on him when the shelf collapsed. 

David had laughingly tried to convince Patrick to file a WCB claim, but Patrick hadn’t, as of yet. For starters, he didn’t think it necessarily qualified as a _ workplace injury _ . And furthermore, Patrick couldn’t stop blushing when faced with filling in the little box asking: _ Explain how your injury was incurred. _ So yeah. No.

Those were their options. So, obviously, their sexual repertoire had advanced only so far. But Patrick was ever-hopeful that eventually they would find some time to be truly alone, with no threat of interruption or being overheard. With a comfortable mattress that was big enough for two grown men to lie together, limbs tangled, bodies pressed together, without worrying about falling out of a bed that was made for a single child to sleep in, or roommates or family members walking in on them, or kneeling on the seat belt buckle, or having an entire shelving unit falling on their heads.

Patrick had given some serious thought to maybe renting a room at the motel for them, but the thought of Stevie or—_ God forbid _ —Mr. Rose checking them in and just _ knowing _ what the room was for was too much. If things got desperate, maybe he’d look into finding a motel in Elmdale, or one of the adjacent Elms. But they weren’t quite there yet. Almost. But not quite.

Patrick turned his attention back to his spreadsheet. He’d found an article the night before on anal fingering that he wanted to ask David about. It was something Patrick had tried on himself, with varying levels of success. It felt okay, but he still didn’t quite see the appeal of it. He didn’t think he was getting his fingers deep enough to really make it good for him. His fingers were short, whereas David’s fingers were long and thick and...and experienced. He wanted to know how it would feel to have David’s fingers inside him, finding that spot that Patrick had read about, but hadn’t managed to reach himself. 

He wondered if that was something David thought about, if it was something David would want to do. Then he thought about whether David would want Patrick to do it to him, and Patrick’s pants became uncomfortably tight, his mind’s eye picturing David spread out before him, Patrick’s fingers buried deep within. He wondered what David would feel like, inside. Warm. Slick. Tight. Would David be tight? He’d...well, he’d had a lot of partners. Was that something that happened over time? Was David maybe less tight now? That thought made Patrick frown and an ugly, possessive feeling crept up from deep inside him and clawed at his rib cage. 

The door banged open and the bell jangled sharply, drawing Patrick’s attention. He looked up to see David grimace apologetically before closing the door behind him with slightly more grace than he’d opened it.

“Morning,” Patrick said, snapping the laptop closed and sliding it onto the shelf beneath the register. “Everything okay?”

David tipped his head back and gave an exaggerated shudder. “So, I’m going to be an _ uncle,” _ he groaned, arms flailing dramatically, nearly knocking over a display of hand cream that had taken Patrick close to an hour to put together.

“You’re...oh. _ Oh,” _ Patrick said. He rounded the counter and headed for David, biting his lip to hide his smile at David’s put-upon theatrics. “I mean, congratulations?” David whipped his sunglasses from his face and glared at Patrick.

“Congratu—no. _ No, _ Patrick. This is a travesty! A selfish act of...of _ selfishness _on Alexis’s part.”

Patrick nodded sympathetically. “Right. Of course.”

“I mean, who goes and gets themselves pregnant without any thought for their family?”

Patrick patted David’s arm consolingly. “Well, lots of people,” he said, quite reasonably. But clearly David was not in a mood to be reasonable. He huffed at Patrick, crossing his arms and cocking a hip defiantly against the counter.

“Just when things are looking up for me,” he said, gesturing at the store and then at Patrick. Patrick knew that he shouldn’t, but he felt a little inkling of pride deep down in his chest at the idea that he was part of the reason David saw his life as _ looking up. _ “Now she has to go and drag us all down with her as her life spirals out of control.” He sighed, reaching out to absently pluck at the shoulder of Patrick’s shirt. “She can’t afford to look after a baby! My parents can’t afford to help her, so—as usual—everyone is going to come begging me to fix it, throw every good thing in _ my _life away to help Alexis.”

“They wouldn’t—“ Patrick began, but a pointed look from David quieted him. 

“Oh, yes they would. How do I know?” David asked, powering on before Patrick could even begin to form an answer. “Because that’s how things work in my family. Alexis fucks up, Mom and Dad either have no idea what’s going on, or they get themselves too involved and just...they just....” He groaned and leaned forward, resting his forehead against Patrick’s shoulder. “They’re not good in an emergency. So it falls to me—it _ always _ falls to me—to fix Alexis’s life. Because God forbid she should actually have to deal with the consequences of her own actions.”

Patrick didn’t know how to respond to this. He’d become more and more familiar with the Roses, and he knew they had an...interesting dynamic, to put it mildly. He also knew that David’s heart was far bigger and kinder than he would ever let on, and Patrick saw the way he looked after his sister, his mother, and even his father. He wondered when was the last time one of them looked after David.

He wrapped his arms around David’s waist, pulling him close and letting his hands rub soothing circles up and down David’s back. “How can I help?”

David turned his head to press his face firmly into Patrick’s neck. “I don’t know,” he grumbled quietly against Patrick’s skin. “I just...I need to take my mind off all of _ that _ for like, just a minute.”

“Okay,” Patrick replied, hands gliding smoothly up David’s back. “You look really cute today.”

David made a pleased little noise in his throat and burrowed further into Patrick. “Yeah?”

Patrick grinned and pressed a featherlight kiss to David’s temple. “You always do.” He felt David smile against his neck. “What do you need from me?”

It turned out that what David needed was for Patrick to apply tiny dots of a very expensive cream to the delicate skin under David’s eyes. Which he gladly did, while they talked and he teased and dropped sweet kisses to David’s waiting lips.

And that afternoon, he needed to press Patrick up against the small sliver of bare wall in the back room and slide his thigh between Patrick’s legs. He needed to grind their hips together while sucking and nipping at Patrick’s throat, leaving a hickey (there’s no such thing as _ half _ a hickey, David) for Stevie to find and tease them about, while offering her apartment to them for the night.

And later that night, what David needed was to explain exactly what the fuck that tall, impossibly rugged and gorgeous man meant when he said “we all broke up.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ugh. I am the absolute worst, I know. You’ve all been so very patient—it’s been a long time since I last updated this one—and I am leaving you hanging.
> 
> But! I can promise you that the next chapter will pick up where we left off, and there will be tender smut. 
> 
> Thank you for hanging in there, and I hope you’re all safe and healthy.


	12. Take All the Time You Need

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “It’s not...it’s not exactly how I pictured it, our first real night alone,” David said, offering an apologetic smile in Patrick’s direction, “But it’s the best I could do given the time I had to prepare, and the fact that we’re in Stevie’s apartment of all places, but—“
> 
> “David, it’s perfect,” Patrick said, taking David’s hands in his, stopping his fidgeting. He brought David’s hands to his lips and pressed a kiss to his fingers. He smiled at David, saw his eyes crinkle with pleasure, his mouth twisted up in a pleased little bow. “Thank you for making this special for us.”
> 
> Or: Filth and feelings at Stevie’s in which Patrick discovers he is a thirsty, thirsty bottom.

So Jake was gorgeous. And rugged. And looked like a fucking lumberjack. A fucking sex lumberjack that David had dated. That David had had sex with. That had had sex with David. And Stevie was somehow involved?

“Sorry, I just gotta go through that one more time,” Patrick said, accepting the tumbler of whiskey from David. “So, you dated Jake, and then _ Stevie _ dated Jake, and then you _ all—“_

“No! See, that’s where you’re wrong,” David interrupted, “We _ almost _all, but I said no.”

“Ah.”

“Because Stevie and I decided that would be a bad idea,” David plowed on in a rush of words. Patrick nodded absently and took a bracing sip of whiskey. “But it appears that I’m the only one that held up my end of that agreement.”

The whiskey was sitting heavy in Patrick’s stomach now. He glanced at David. “And you’re upset about this because you—“

“No! I’m not upset!” David interrupted loudly, which kind of undermined his claim. Because calm people who were not upset didn’t usually yell about how _ not _ upset they were. That, paired with the way David’s hand—the one that was _ not _ currently cradling a glass of whiskey—was waving frantic circles in the air between them, just went to show how _ not _ upset David really was. “I don’t want any of that. It’s a principal thing.” _ Uh huh. _ “And we are getting sidetracked right now, okay? So…” David was _ so _ not upset that he was getting very flustered. But, he did a ridiculous little shimmy that made the corners of Patrick’s mouth twitch upward, partly in amusement, and partly because it was actually stupidly, ludicrously attractive. “Who is feeling _ sexy?”_

David leaned in for a kiss, but Patrick just—why did he need to pick at this scab?—wasn’t quite done yet. He turned away from David’s incoming lips. “Getting there, for sure. I just...I _ knew _ you had a rich dating history, David,” he said, the whiskey churning just a little more in his stomach. The words _ I’ve kissed like, a thousand people, _ were running through his mind and he just...he needed something from David. Something to ease the awkward, gnawing feeling he’d had in his guts since Jake showed up. “I just didn’t expect to be graced by the presence of _ two _ of your exes tonight.”

“Yeah, funny thing,” David said, a defensive edge in his voice indicating that he was just about done with this conversation, “Neither did I.”

And, yeah. Okay, that was fair. It wasn’t as if David had arranged to have Jake show up, just to make Patrick feel...inferior? Jealous? Inexperienced? All of the above? Patrick was being unfair, and he knew it. He couldn’t hold Jake’s presence tonight against David. He couldn’t begrudge David for having had a relationship with that hot, chiselled, sex-god lumberjack.

“But…”

“Mhmm?” David’s mouth curled upward in a slow smile as he hummed.

“Given that we only have the apartment for one night…”

“Mmm.” David’s smile grew broader, more confident.

“Maybe it’s best if we lock that box up for now.”

David’s smile was blinding, iridescent. “I think that’s a good idea,” he said, leaning in to kiss Patrick. His lips were soft, warm and slick with the taste of whiskey. Just as Patrick was about to deepen the kiss, David pulled away.

“You know what? We didn’t even get into your history—“

A flash of panic thundered through Patrick’s chest. David may have kissed a thousand people, but Patrick had kissed one woman a thousand times. Had put a ring on her finger. And had that ring flung back at him when he’d broken things off for the final time. It was not a good look for him, and not one that he wanted to examine right now, not with the tantalizing promise of an uninterrupted night alone. With David. 

“Lock it up, David,” Patrick insisted, sliding his fingers around the back of David’s neck and pulling him closer. “Lock it up.”

“Oh, okay,” David giggled against his lips. And they were kissing. With the whole night ahead of them, hours and hours of privacy, there was no rush. Patrick took his time, letting his tongue sweep slowly along the seam of David’s lips, probe gently into his mouth, tangle languidly with David’s. 

“Are you gonna finish that?” David murmured in his ear, when they broke apart to gasp desperately for air.

“Hmm?”

“Your whiskey. Are you gonna finish it?”

“Um. Yeah?” 

“Mkay,” David said, pressing a soft kiss to Patrick’s cheek before he sat back. His dark eyes were filled with a heat that made Patrick’s blood surge to his groin. “I’m just...Give me a few minutes. I’m gonna set the mood.”

David carried his own empty glass to the kitchen, rinsing it and setting it in the sink. He grabbed his duffle from the hallway where he’d dropped it when they came in, setting it atop Stevie’s kitchen table and rifling through it. Sipping his whiskey, Patrick watched as David drew out a few pillar candles, which he set on Stevie’s coffee table, on her breakfast bar. 

He produced a lighter from his pocket and lit the candles, then he began to close the curtains and turn off the lights, leaving only the small lamps on her nightstand alight. 

With a burning gulp, Patrick downed the last of his whiskey when he sawDavid set a small bottle of lube on one of the bedside tables. David began to nervously twist the ring on the index finger of his right hand. “David?” he asked, getting to his feet and setting his glass down on the coffee table.

“It’s not...it’s not exactly how I pictured it, our first real night alone,” David said, offering an apologetic smile in Patrick’s direction, “But it’s the best I could do given the time I had to prepare, and the fact that we’re in Stevie’s apartment of all places, but—“

“David, it’s perfect,” Patrick said, taking David’s hands in his, stopping his fidgeting. He brought David’s hands to his lips and pressed a kiss to his fingers. He smiled at David, saw his eyes crinkle with pleasure, his mouth twisted up in a pleased little bow. “Thank you for making this special for us.” 

“It’s nothing,” David said with a bashful duck of his head. 

Patrick slid a finger under David’s chin, tipping his face upward. He waited until he had David’s eyes on him, then he gently cupped David’s jaw, thumb dragging over his cheek. “This is not nothing.”

Then he kissed David, slow and sweet. And David kissed him back, his hands—no longer nervously twisted together—sure and strong at Patrick’s hips, at the small of his back. He walked Patrick backwards to the bed, slowly lowered him—like he was something precious, something treasured—onto the mattress, following him down until he covered Patrick completely with his own body. And Patrick loved it. Loved the feeling of David on him, not holding him down, but letting his weight settle onto Patrick. It was so comforting, and so arousing, all at once. 

Patrick let his hands work their way under David’s sweater, beneath his t-shirt, feeling the flat plain of David’s back, each notch of his spine, his shoulders. God, his shoulders.

“David,” he murmured against David’s lips. 

“Mmm,” David hummed, kisses moving down to Patrick’s chin, along his jaw, zeroing in on that spot just behind and a little below Patrick’s ear. His stubble grated against that sensitive patch of skin, and Patrick tilted his head to give David more room to explore, more skin to scuff up with his scruff. David nipped and kissed his way down Patrick’s throat to the hickey _ (there’s no such thing as a half-hickey, David) _ he’d marked on Patrick’s skin earlier in the day. He paused over it, breathed against it, and Patrick let out a soft whimper when he felt David’s tongue press against the bruised skin. 

David glanced up at him, checking in. Patrick nodded, and David pressed a chaste kiss to the spot before he moved his mouth lower, to the collar of Patrick’s sweater. He nosed aside the neckline and pressed his lips to the divot at the base of Patrick’s throat, soft licks and kisses, and Patrick knew he was being careful not to leave a mark on that small patch of skin that Patrick usually left exposed with two undone buttons at the neck of his signature button up shirts.

“David,” Patrick breathed, unable to stop his hips from rolling upward, seeking the heat and friction of David’s body. 

David’s hands bunched up the hem of Patrick’s sweater, fingers slowly sliding up his stomach, taking the time to greet each rib as they skidded toward his chest. He found a nipple and pinched it and Patrick groaned and arched his back. David made a pleased little grunt and then nosed his way down to Patrick’s other nipple, circling it with the tip of his nose. Patrick had never really considered his nipples to be that sensitive. But maybe it had more to do with who was paying attention to them. And how they were paying attention to them. Because what David was doing felt absolutely delicious.

Rachel had never done much besides a cursory flick or pinch from time to time. But David...David was lavishing them with attention, the heat of his mouth, the feeling of his finger and thumb tight around the little nub, was so, so good. 

“Jesus,” Patrick panted, squirming now beneath David’s weight. His jeans were too tight. His sweater was too hot. “I need...let me get naked.”

David’s head popped up, a wolfish grin gracing his features. “Yeah?”

“Yeah. Yes. Now.”

The grin widened. “Only if I get to undress you.”

Patrick groaned. “God. _ Fine. _ Just hurry up!”

David’s eyebrows shot up. “My, my. Someone’s feeling very bossy tonight.” But he pushed himself up so he was sitting astride Patrick’s thighs, and Patrick immediately missed the weight of his body. He must have said something of the sort out loud, as David chuckled at him. “I can’t be on top of you _ and _ undress you at the same time,” he said, his eyes sparkling with amusement. “So you’ll have to choose.”

Patrick let his hands slide up David’s thighs. He had such nice thighs. Patrick hadn’t spent nearly enough time with them. He’d have to make up for that oversight very soon. 

“You know, or you could just oogle my thighs. That’s fine too,” David teased, using those thick thigh muscles to squeeze tight around Patrick’s legs. 

“Fuck, David,” Patrick sighed. He let his hands slide up and down a few more times, going a little higher each time until his thumbs brushed against the prominent bulge in the front of David’s jeans. He looked up to see David watching his hands, his bottom lip tucked between his teeth. Feeling a little braver, Patrick brought one hand up to cup David over his fly, finding the hard line of his cock with his fingers. He slowly stroked the tip with his thumb, a little more pressure with each stroke.

“Oh, God...Patrick,” David breathed. He brought his hand down over Patrick’s, pressing more firmly against his cock. “God, can you feel what you do to me?”

“I wanna see,” Patrick said, his hands fumbling for David’s fly. “God, David. Show me. I want to see.”

David was wearing a simple pair of jeans today, maybe in anticipation of needing to get out of them quickly. But Patrick’s fingers were shaking so badly that he could do little more than fumble with the zipper and finally David had to swat his hands away to get at his own fly. He unbuttoned, unzipped and breathed a sigh of relief as he pushed down the front of his briefs, tucking it behind his balls and revealing his cock, hard and thick and glistening with pre-come. 

Patrick’s fingers wrapped around him, squeezing gently. David reached down and gripped the hem of his sweater and t-shirt, pulling them carefully over his head, folding them haphazardly, and tossing them onto the bench at the foot of Stevie’s bed. He let his head fall back with a groan of pleasure, exposing his long neck, the broad expanse of his shoulders. He was an absolute vision, bare chest covered in swirls of gorgeous dark hair, all the way down to the hard line of his cock in Patrick’s hand. 

“Fuck. David,” Patrick said, awestruck that he held this beautiful man—literally—in the palm of his hand. “You’re so...Jesus. You’re so fucking sexy.”

David looked at him with lust-hooded eyes. “I thought...oh, God...I thought we were getting _ you _ naked.”

“I got distracted,” Patrick replied with a bashful grin, moving his hand slowly up and down David’s shaft, teasing his thumb over the slit, through the thick drop of pre-come that had gathered. David bit his lip and whimpered, thrusting his hips. Patrick’s own cock twitched, and yeah. Maybe it was time for him to lose the clothes. He sat up, wrapping his arms around David’s waist, bending his knees and planting his feet flat on the bed. In a move that would have made his high school wrestling coach proud, he flipped them over so David was on his back, legs wrapped around Patrick’s hips, staring up at him with eyes wide with arousal.

“Oh, fuck yes,” David gasped. He grabbed Patrick’s shoulders and pulled him down into a fiery kiss, all sloppy tongue and nipping teeth. Patrick let his hand slide down to grip David’s ass, squeezing the firm muscle with his fingers. He rolled his hips against David’s and David moaned deep in the back of his throat. Patrick felt it in his mouth, in his groin. “Off. Get your fucking clothes off, Patrick,” David demanded, breaking the kiss. He was breathless and his face was flushed, his lips raw and swollen. 

“Now who’s being bossy?” Patrick teased, kissing his way down David's throat , his teeth scraping at the thick tendon along the side of his neck. David growled—fucking _ growled— _at him, placing his palms on Patrick’s chest and pushing him up. 

“I’ll show you fucking bossy,” David grumbled, grabbing Patrick’s sweater and tugging it up. He shoved impatiently at it until Patrick lifted his arms, allowing David to draw it up and over his head. He tossed it aside and reached for Patrick’s belt. “Get. Your fucking. Clothes. Off,” David insisted, long fingers unbuckling the belt and pulling it roughly from the loops in Patrick’s jeans with a snap that made Patrick’s dick throb. 

David tossed the belt in the same direction as the sweater, and Patrick fumbled to get his fly open. He pushed his jeans down to his thighs, then realized he’d have to get up to get them all the way off. He untangled himself from David’s legs and waddled awkwardly on his knees to the edge of the bed, gracelessly getting to his feet and shoving them off along with his briefs. He heard the rustle of fabric and saw that David was wiggling out of his jeans, still on his back with his legs in the air, and it was both hilarious and the sexiest fucking thing Patrick had ever seen. He knelt on the bed again and helped David untangle his pants and briefs from around his ankles, placing them on the bench along with his other clothes. Then he climbed back on top of David who spread his legs to accommodate Patrick between his thighs. And, God. Patrick wanted to live right here, in the V of David’s legs, wrapped up so safe and warm. He smiled down at David, brushing a thumb over the rosy swell of David’s cheek. 

“Hi,” he said. David’s eyes crinkled and he bit back a smile in that way he did, when he was so happy he seemed to feel the need to hide it. Patrick loved being the one to put that look on David’s face. 

“Hi, baby,” David replied and Patrick’s stomach swooped. He wondered if he’d ever get used to David calling him _ baby _ in that soft, sweet way that he did. He hoped not. His big, gentle hands ran slowly up and down Patrick’s back, over his shoulders, twisted together at the back of Patrick’s neck. He pulled Patrick down for another kiss, this one slower, deeper, filled with the promise of what the night held in store for them. “What do you want, Patrick?” he asked, peppering Patrick’s chin and cheeks and jaw with light, fluttering kisses. “I wanna make you feel so good. Tell me.”

Patrick dropped his forehead to rest on David’s shoulder. His mind went back to the locked folder on the laptop. What he’d been thinking about this morning when David had come into the store.

“Patrick?” David asked, so softly, so carefully. Not pressing, just checking in. “Baby? Can you tell me?”

”I, um... I don’t... have like, a plan or anything. For tonight. So...”

”Neither do I,” David assured him, trailing his fingers tantalizingly up and down the length of Patrick’s neck. “There’s no agenda here. No to-do list...” 

Patrick’s eyes widened and he felt his ears get warm and knew they’d probably turned a tell-take shade of pink. David squinted and cocked his head quizzically. Patrick’s eyes flicked over David’s face before darting away. “Oh my God,” David chuckled in delight, “you actually made a list!”

Patrick ducked his head before glancing bashfully down at David. “I might have,” he admitted with a grin. “But I mean, it’s not so much a to-do list as it is... stuff I’m...that I want to try. With you.”

David looked ridiculously pleased. ”Oh yeah? What kind of stuff?” 

Patrick shook his head. “It’s embarrassing.”

“Hey,” David said, skimming his thumb soothingly over Patrick’s cheek. “You have no reason to be embarrassed with me.” He curled his palm around the back of Patrick’s head, pulling him down into a fortifying kiss.

Patrick turned his head so his face was buried in the curve of David’s neck. God, David smelled so good. Patrick took a deep breath in through his nose, breathing in David’s familiar, calming scent. It was woodsy and floral, masculine and feminine all at once. It was so very David. “I, um…” he began, suddenly nervous. “I want...can I, um—“

“Anything you want, Patrick,” David soothed. “I want to do anything with you. Tell me something on your list.”

Patrick took in one final breath of David’s alluring scent, then pushed himself up on his forearms so he could see David’s face. “C-can, um...I want you to put your fingers in me.”

He heard David’s breath hitch, saw his eyes widen, felt his body tense, and for a single, horrifying moment, Patrick thought he was going to say no. But David regained his composure quickly and smiled up at him. “Yeah? You want to?” Patrick nodded eagerly, and David’s smile widened. “I’d like that,” he said, stroking at the nape of Patrick’s neck. “I’ll be so good to you, baby.”

“I know you will,” Patrick said. And he did. He knew that David would take such good care of him, would be so gentle. 

“Have you ever...I mean, has anyone ever…”

“No,” Patrick said. “No one has ever done that with me before. Y-you’re the only one, David.” The words _ “you’re my first” _ danced across the tip of Patrick’s tongue, but he kept them to himself. He wasn’t sure why. This thing with David felt so big, so all consuming, that it was hard for Patrick to see past it. Maybe he didn’t want to. Maybe he didn’t want David to be his first. Maybe he wanted David to be the only one—ever—to do this with him. Now there was a thought. But for another time. 

Gazing down at David, Patrick could see an unexpected flurry of emotions behind his eyes. “What? Is it...do you not want to?”

“No, I do! I really, really do. Um, I just need to be very clear that it’s okay if you don’t like it,” he said. “Not everybody does. You have to tell me if you don’t.”

“Okay,” Patrick said, leaning down to kiss David. But David pressed a palm against his chest, stopping him. Locking eyes with him. 

“It is really, _ really _ important to me that you tell me,” David insisted, his tone and his face so serious. “I mean it, Patrick. This is a hard limit for me.”

“Okay, David,” Patrick vowed.

“I won’t be upset if you want me to stop, okay?” David continued. “I promise to stop if you ask me to stop.”

Patrick got the distinct impression that David was offering him an out that people in his past hadn’t always offered him. The thought made Patrick’s chest ache and he felt a tightness building up behind his eyes that felt a lot like tears. He swiped his thumb tenderly along David’s cheekbone, looking deep into his eyes. “I promise, David,” he said. “I promise to tell you.”

David’s eyes searched his face for any trace of a lie. Seemingly satisfied, he drew Patrick down for a kiss, soft and so, so tender. 

“Please, David,” Patrick murmured against David’s lips, “Please, can you? I want you to. I can’t wait to feel you inside me.”

Before Patrick knew what was happening, he was on his back with David looming over him. And _ fuck. _ Yup. That was definitely hot. 

“Mkay,” David said, pressing a kiss to Patrick’s forehead. “So, here’s what’s gonna happen.” He kissed the tip of Patrick’s nose. “Are you listening?” He nibbled at Patrick’s chin.

Patrick was still a little distracted by so suddenly having found himself under David, but he could see in David’s face and hear in his voice how important this was to him. So he pulled himself together as best he could and nodded. “Yes, David. I’m listening.”

“Good.” David leaned in and nipped at the hinge of Patrick’s jaw. “So I’m going to suck your cock for a bit, get you nice and relaxed,” he said, kissing his way down Patrick’s neck. “And then I’m going to just play with your hole for a little while. Just to get you used to the feeling of being touched down there.” Patrick nodded, heat welling up deep inside him as he listened to David outline his plan. There was something so unfathomably sexy about hearing David talk so matter-of-factly about what he was about to do to Patrick, _ with _ Patrick, _ for _ Patrick. “And then, if you still want it, I’m going to put a finger inside you. See how you like it. I’ll go slow, make it so good for you.” 

“Okay,” Patrick breathed. It was all he could do to get the one word out, although he wanted to say more. He wanted to thank David for talking him through this, for knowing that Patrick needed that, needed to know what was going to happen in order to be comfortable with something so new. 

“Have you ever touched yourself there?” David pulled back to look at Patrick. “Ever fingered yourself?”

Patrick felt his cheeks grow hot. He wished he could talk about these things—about sex—without that traitorous flush giving away how foreign it all was to him, when David was so experienced. 

“Um...yes.”

David closed his eyes and bit down hard on his lower lip, moaning low in the back of his throat. When he opened his eyes, his dark irises held a flash of something that hadn’t been there before. Something wanton and lustful and wicked. It made Patrick’s balls ache, to be the object of such desire.

David lowered his head, lips ghosting over the shelf of Patrick’s ear. “I’d like to see that sometime.”

Patrick closed his eyes, his throat went dry. “Y-yeah?”

“Yeah.” David began to kiss his way down Patrick’s neck to his chest. He took a nipple into his mouth and swirled his tongue around it, flicked and bit and teased it until it puckered and swelled into a tight little pebble, a mixture of pain and pleasure. “God, I bet you look so gorgeous,” he murmured before showing the same careful attention to Patrick’s other nipple.

Patrick had his doubts. Watching him try to get his fingers up his own ass while pretzeled up in the shower was hardly something he considered sexy. But then he thought about seeing David do that, seeing him touch himself, showing Patrick how he liked it. _ Fuck. _He could definitely see the appeal of that.

“So, I don’t want this to sound...indelicate,” David murmured as he kissed and licked at Patrick’s chest. “But, um, if we’re going to do this, do you maybe want to take a quick shower? Maybe...maybe clean up. A little. Down there?”

“I already did.”

David froze and looked up at Patrick, colour rising on his cheeks. “You...already did.”

“At Ray’s. After work,” Patrick informed him. 

“Mhmm.” David nodded his head, his expression a little dazed.

“So I’m good to go.”

“And when you say you’re good to go, you mean…”

“I gave myself a...you know,” Patrick said. 

“Oh my God,” David breathed, his eyes going a little glassy as he stared blankly at Patrick. He shook his head, a knowing grin spreading across his face. “Someone has been doing some research.”

“I mean, I read some articles, and they all suggested that it would be more...pleasurable for both of us if I did a little prep-work.” Patrick was nothing if not practical and he liked being prepared for things. 

David’s chin dropped to his chest and he appeared to be trying to collect himself. When he looked up again, there was a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. “So when you said you didn’t have a plan for tonight, you really meant that you _ did _ have a plan. A very _ specific _ plan.”

“I, well, I mean, I didn’t...I wasn’t…” Patrick stumbled over his words, suddenly flustered at being caught out. He offered David a chagrined smile. “I hoped, David. And I wanted to be ready for you, just in case.”

David pressed his lips together, his eyes going so, so fond, and maybe a little...proud?

“Patrick,” he sighed, leaning down to kiss Patrick breathless. “Thank you,” he murmured between kisses. “Thank you for being so brave and telling me...letting me...just thank you. Thank you.”

Patrick took David’s face in his hands. “Thank you for helping me be brave.”

David shook his head, his eyes going a little misty. “I didn’t do anything.”

“You’ve done more than you know, David,” Patrick affirmed.

David kissed him chastely before he resumed his exploration of Patrick’s chest, his stomach. He nuzzled his face into the line of hair below Patrick’s belly button. Patrick drew in a sharp breath when David’s chin nudged his very interested cock. “Fuck...David. Please.”

David nipped at the sensitive skin in the crease of Patrick’s hip, looking up at him, dark eyes gleaming. “I’ve got you.” He kept his eyes fixed on Patrick’s as he wrapped a hand around Patrick’s cock and licked at the pre-come dribbling messily from the tip. Patrick’s mouth fell open and he made an embarrassing little noise when David opened his mouth to take Patrick’s length down, down, all the way down, until he could feel himself bumping against the back of David’s throat.

David hummed wickedly, sending a shiver rippling outward from Patrick’s cock, making his fingers and toes tingle. He reached down and raked his fingers through David’s soft hair, gripping a handful of it and tugging. David moaned around him and Patrick’s balls tightened and the heat that had been simmering in the hollow of his pelvis began to boil. 

“Jesus. David!” he cried, tugging harder at David’s hair. He didn’t want David to stop. Or maybe he did. David had a plan. A very hot, very sexy plan.

David popped off the head of his cock with a filthy slurp. His lips were red and ruinous, slick with spit and Patrick’s own wetness.

“How are we feeling?” David asked coyly, a teasing grin on his face. 

“So, so good,” Patrick replied, running his thumb reverently over David’s plump lower lip. “God, David. Your fucking mouth…”

That earned a chuckle from David. He rubbed Patrick’s thigh soothingly. “I aim to please.” He kissed the tip of Patrick’s cock, then his expression turned a bit more serious. “So,” he began, letting his hand slide from Patrick’s thigh down between his legs, giving his balls a gentle squeeze. “Do you still want me to finger you?”

Patrick considered his options. On the one hand, _ David’s mouth. _ But on the other...the unknown. It was a little frightening. Patrick could admit to himself that he was nervous. But he knew that David would be so good, so patient. And if Patrick didn’t like it, David would stop. 

Patrick took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He smiled shyly at David. “I want the plan, David. Please.”

David returned his smile. He pushed himself to his knees, reaching over to the nightstand for the small bottle of lube he’d set out earlier. He grabbed a pillow and tapped Patrick’s hip. “Up,” he urged, and Patrick lifted his hips so David could slide the pillow underneath. Then he scootched forward, his knees bracketing Patrick’s hips, Patrick’s legs bent, the backs of his knees resting over the swell of David’s thighs, his most intimate places on display for David. 

Patrick had thought about this moment a lot, how it would feel to give his body to David like this. He had thought he would feel exposed, vulnerable. But the way David was looking at him—like Patrick was the Eighth Wonder of the World—made him feel totally in control. Maybe even powerful. 

He watched David tip out a generous amount of lube into his hand, getting his fingers slick and slippery. He gazed warmly down at Patrick. “Ready?”

“Yes, David. Please.”

David began by sucking gently on the tender skin of Patrick’s hip while he cradled and fondled his balls. Patrick released a sigh. He felt David’s thumb sliding down behind his balls, circling around his hole. The pressure was so light, a barely-there tease, and Patrick’s breaths became shallow. Nerve endings that he didn’t even know he had were tingling, radiating warmth throughout his body. He drew in a sharp breath when David skimmed the rim of his hole.

“Oh!” Patrick breathed out in surprise. “Oh, David.”

“Good?” David asked, looking up from the impressive hickey he’d sucked into Patrick’s skin. 

Patrick nodded his head. “Yes. Yes, yes.”

David smiled and bent his head to attend to Patrick’s other hip. His thumb changed direction, rubbing up and down over Patrick’s hole now, his pressure a little firmer, his pace a little slower. Patrick closed his eyes. The urge to press against David’s touch was nearly overwhelming. 

“Mkay, I’m going to put my finger in you,” David said. “Just the tip for now.”

Patrick nodded. “Mhmm. Yup. Okay.”

The pressure of David’s thumb disappeared and Patrick keened at the loss. “Shh...I know,” David murmured. He waited until Patrick made eye contact with him, then slowly, pressed the slick tip of his index finger inside him. Then he paused, waiting.

It felt...weird. Not all that different from when Patrick had attempted it himself.

The disappointment must have registered on his face, because David began to stroke his free hand soothingly up and down Patrick’s thigh. “You okay?”

Patrick nodded. “Yeah. I'm just...it feels weird.”

“Good weird? Or bad weird?” David asked, hand still moving on Patrick’s thigh.

“Just weird.”

“Okay,” David said, his voice so open and soft. “Do you want me to stop?”

Patrick shook his head. “No. No, I want...I think I want more.”

David watched him for a moment, his expression serious. Then he leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to Patrick’s knee. “Okay.”

Slowly—so, so slowly—David pressed his finger deeper. Patrick felt his first knuckle squeeze through the tight ring of muscle. His breath caught when the second, larger knuckle pressed through, and then David’s finger was in—all the way in. 

“You okay?” David asked. “Still feel weird?”

“A little,” Patrick admitted. David’s fingers were leaner than his, but they were also longer and Patrick could feel that David was deeper than he’d been able to manage on his own. “Could you...could you maybe move? Just a little?”

David smiled warmly at him. “Of course,” he said, and put action to word, slowly drawing his finger out, then pressing carefully back in again. Patrick closed his eyes and just let the feeling settle over him, of having someone else inside his body. “I’m just gonna try something.” David’s voice floated softly over Patrick, and then David was carefully twisting his finger, crooking it upward over a sensitive spot that made Patrick gasp and his hips rock upward unexpectedly.

“Oh!” he gasped, opening his eyes to see David looking pleased. “Oh, that was—“

“That was your prostate.” David crooked his finger again and it kind of felt like Patrick had to pee, but it also felt really, _ really _ good. Like he wanted more of that.

“Do it again,” he breathed, and David did, again and again until the urge to pee was gone and Patrick was just left with the pleasure. “Oh...oh, _ David…”_

“You like that?” 

“Mmmm,” Patrick hummed, closing his eyes and letting his legs fall open a little wider. “Can you...could you try two?”

“Yeah? You want...sure. Of course. Yes. Just let me…” David began to pull his finger out and Patrick whined a little at the loss. “Just need more lube and…” And then David was pressing back into him with two fingers and Patrick couldn’t help the little keening wail as his rim stretched around David. “Fuck, Patrick,” David breathed, eyes fixed between Patrick’s spread thighs. “Jesus. You look so good, baby.”

“Y-yeah?” Patrick asked, panting slightly as David began to move his fingers in and out, stroking his prostate with every few strokes. “Y-you like it?”

“Do I like it?” David sounded incredulous. “Baby, you’re so gorgeous like this, all spread out for me. And taking my fingers like this? God...you are so good, Patrick. So beautiful.”

Patrick moaned and arched his back as David’s thumb pressed against his rim, stretched tight around his fingers. “David! Oh God, David...more. Again. Feels so good. Oh fuck. David!”

He was babbling and he didn’t care. It felt so good, so intimate, letting David inside him like this. 

“You want another?” David asked, the hand on his thigh keeping Patrick grounded, keeping him from floating away with the pleasure of it all. “Or just more of this?”

“More,” Patrick demanded. “Another. Just _ more, David,” _ he whined. He looked down to see David dribble more lube on his fingers before pressing in again with three and Patrick’s cock was so, so hard and he was leaking so much. He felt filthy and gorgeous and debauched and he loved it. 

“Fuck, Patrick,” David breathed reverentially as he guided his fingers back inside Patrick, the three of them stretching his rim so tight. It hurt a bit, but in such a good way, and the pain soon turned into pleasure and Patrick was writhing and wailing and maybe even sobbing, he couldn’t be sure. The only thing he was sure of was David, solid and strong, taking such good care of him. “Jesus, Patrick. God, you’re so...fuck, you fucking love this, don’t you?”

“Yes!” Patrick cried out. 

“Yeah. You do. You fucking love it, love my fingers in your ass.”

“I love it,” Patrick moaned. “I fucking love it, David. So good. You’re so good to me. Fuck me with your fingers, David. Fuck me, please...please!”

David curled his fingers upward, stroking Patrick’s prostate firmly, over and over and it was just on this side of too much. And it wasn’t enough. Patrick arched up, pressing himself down on David’s hand. God, he needed to come. He needed to come _ now._

He must have said something of the sort out loud, as David’s hand was on his cock and he was murmuring soothing words as he began to stroke. “Okay, baby. Okay. I’ve got you.”

Three strokes was all it took. Three strokes of David’s hand and Patrick’s back arched and his body convulsed and he gripped handfuls of Stevie’s sheets as he screamed and screamed and screamed David’s name. The edges of his vision faded and he felt weightless, but oh so heavy at the same time. His hips ached and his throat hurt and he was crying. 

_ He was crying? _ When did he…? But it didn’t matter, because then David shifted and was laying down on the bed, pulling Patrick on top of him, holding him and wiping the sweat from his forehead and the tears from his cheeks. He was kissing the tip of his nose and rubbing his big, wonderful hands up and down Patrick’s back. He was telling Patrick that it was okay, to take his time, that he was there.

He sniffled and buried his face against David’s chest, embarrassed at his outburst. 

“I’m sorry,” Patrick whispered to David’s sternum. “That’s not...crying after sex is not cool.”

He heard David chuckle. “It’s okay, Patrick. Really. I’m kind of flattered?” He pressed a kiss to the top of Patrick’s head. “I mean...assuming those were happy tears. Or were they...was that not...did you not—“

Patrick leaned up on one elbow, pressing a quieting finger to David’s lips. “Shh. David, that was _ amazing,” _ Patrick assured. “I have never—literally _ never— _come so hard in my entire life.” He grinned when David’s eyes crinkled and gleamed proudly. “So yes. Those were extremely complimentary tears.”

“Okay,” David whispered against Patrick’s finger. Patrick leaned in and kissed him, long and languid and lush. He let his hand slide down David’s chest, circled his belly button, then wrapped his fingers around David’s erection, which had flagged somewhat in the last few minutes. 

“Now what do we have here?” he asked coyly, raising an eyebrow at David. He began to stroke, slow and firm, feeling David’s cock hardening once more at his touch. “What can I do for you, David? Let me take care of you.”

David smiled and closed his eyes, settling back against the mountain of pillows. “Mmm...just this. Just touch me,” he murmured, covering Patrick’s hands with his own so they were jacking him off together. “Feels so good, PatricK. You’re so good.”

Patrick kissed him, letting his tongue tangle with David’s, feeling him thrust up into his fist over and over again until, with a cry, David’s body tensed and he came all over their hands.

“Fuck,” David sighed, a weary but sated smile on his face. “Thank you, Patrick. That was wonderful.”

David got up and headed for the bathroom, bringing back a warm, wet cloth to wipe them both down. Then he climbed back into bed, wrapping an arm around Patrick’s shoulders and drawing him in, so Patrick’s head nestled against his chest. He sighed happily.

“Mmm. Let’s have a little rest,” he murmured, nuzzling his face into Patrick’s hair. “I want to do more things from your list later on, while we still have some privacy.”

Patrick grinned and buried his face in David’s chest hair, loving the way the coarse strands felt against his skin. “Okay, David.”

He closed his eyes and let himself get lost in the steady rise and fall of David’s breath, the thrum of his heartbeat. The warmth and comfort of his strong arms holding him close. 

“What’re you thinking about?” David’s voice rumbled in his ear, above him, all around him. Patrick raised his head and looked up at David. “I can hear the wheels turning in your brain.” David skimmed a finger along Patrick’s hairline, from his forehead to his temple. “Are you...do you want to talk about it?”

Patrick shifted so he was lying on his stomach, half-sprawled over David. He gently settled his chin on David’s breastbone, tracing the strong lines of his face with his eyes. 

“I just...I guess I was just worried about whether or not I...I mean, you’ve done this before. Probably with lots of other people. Maybe even with...with Jake…”

David’s brow furrowed and he sighed, letting the palm of one hand skim soothingly up and down Patrick’s spine. “I thought you wanted to lock all that up for now.”

“I did. I do,” Patrick said. “I just...Jake is so...and I’m so...I mean, I’m not Jake.” Patrick hated how small his voice sounded, how unsure.

“Yeah, and thank God for that!” David exclaimed. “One is enough.”

Patrick groaned. Why was he doing this? “I’m sorry, David. Just forget it.”

David shook his head. “Well that’s not happening.” He slid a finger beneath Patrick’s chin and tilted his head up so their eyes met. “Are you seriously comparing yourself to Jake right now?”

Patrick pressed the heels of his hands against his eyes. “I mean...I guess?” He let his hands fall from his face and looked at David. There was no hint of the judgement he’d half expected to see. David just smiled at him and scratched his fingers softly through Patrick’s hair. 

“So Jake was...a good partner. With sex. Like, mechanically?” David began, his fingers twisting the short strands of Patrick’s hair. “I mean, he had parts, and I had parts, and when we put those parts together, it felt good. Until...until it was over. And then we thanked each other, put our clothes back on, and it was awkward and kind of gross. And I was left feeling just as lonely and empty as I had before we...before we fucked.”

“Okay?” Patrick didn’t want to press too hard, but he sensed that David had more to say.

“Jake was the first person—other than Stevie—who actually looked at me like I was someone desirable and not a hot fucking mess. Which I was.” David smiled ruefully. “So that just goes to show you the kind of low standards that Stevie and Jake both had. I guess they kind of deserve each other? Although Stevie could do better. A lot better.” He paused, grimacing a little. “But I guess Jake is mechanically good at sex with her too, so…”

Patrick reached for David’s hand, intertwining their fingers on David’s broad chest. “David, you’re not a hot mess.”

David huffed out a self-deprecating laugh. “Oh, no. I very much am. I mean, not as much as I was when I got here, so that’s good. But, yeah.”

“David…”

David frowned, his eyes focused on their hands. “I don’t know how to say this without sounding condescending, so I’m just going to say it and hope that you understand that I’m not...it’s not a bad thing.”

“Okay.” Despite David’s reassurances, Patrick’s stomach churned nervously.

“I know that we haven’t done, like, a lot of stuff. Stuff I’ve done with other people, that I’ve enjoyed with other people.” He glanced at Patrick, his eyes shining with a complex cocktail of emotions. “But, um...I like what we’re doing, Patrick. I like that, when we’re done, it doesn’t feel awkward and gross.” He leaned in and pressed a kiss to Patrick’s forehead. “And you...you still want me around. After. Like, you actually want me around because you _ like _ me, and not just because I’m good in bed.” David blushed and grimaced. “I mean...God, I don’t mean that I think I’m good in bed. Like, not that I’ve had any complaints but I’m not...I didn’t mean—“

“David?” Patrick placed a quieting finger against David’s mouth.

“What?”

“You’re really good in bed.”

David let out a little chuckle and rolled his eyes, obviously pleased with the compliment. “Shut up.”

Patrick shook his head. “I mean, I know I’m not the most experienced, so feel free to take this with a grain of salt, okay?”

David narrowed his eyes. “Mkay.”

“You’re so sexy. And your hands...God, your hands, David,” Patrick said, bringing David’s hand to his lips and kissing each of his long fingers, marvelling at what those hands had just done to him, how good they’d made him feel. “You have no idea the things I’ve thought about your hands. And you’re so patient. You’re generous and considerate and you’ve taken such good care of me, and made me feel so safe.”

David tucked his lips together, drawing them into his mouth. His eyes went soft and the tips of his ears went pink. Patrick rolled onto his side so he was facing David. He stroked a finger along the cut of his jaw. “When I was trying to figure out how I felt about…about being with men, I was excited and nervous about...all that. I still am. But you...you’re so amazing, David. You put me so at ease. And you make me feel so, so good. And I don’t mean just with sex. I mean, I obviously do mean with sex, because it’s the best I’ve ever had. But I also mean that you’re a good friend, and a good business partner, and you’re good to your family, and I like being around you. I like you. All of you. Even the parts you maybe don’t like about yourself.”

“Patrick,” David whispered, his eyes going misty, his lower lip trembling. “That’s...I…” His voice trailed off and then he was kissing Patrick, deep and sweet and perfect. Patrick wrapped his arms around David, rolling onto his back and pulling David on top of him, curling his legs around David’s hips and rocking up against him until the kiss turned filthy, all sloppy mouths and sharp teeth.

“God, you’re so good,” David said, peppering Patrick’s face with little feather-light kisses. “But Patrick?”

“Hmm?”

David looked down at him, his expression so, so open and fond. “Please don’t compare yourself to Jake, or anyone else.” He trailed a finger down the side of Patrick’s face. “As far as I’m concerned, there’s no comparison. You win. Hands down.”

The competitive part of Patrick—the part he hadn’t let David see yet—preened at the comparison, or lack thereof. He pulled David into another kiss, and soon they were back where they’d left off, with David nestled once again between Patrick’s legs, their bodies gyrating slowly against one another, in no hurry to take their pleasure from one another. 

“All this—tonight—this doesn’t feel like we’re going slow anymore,” David murmured in Patrick’s ear, teasing the lobe with the tip of his tongue. 

Patrick moaned and arched his body against David’s. He let his hands trail down the long line of David’s back, gripping the firm globes of his ass with his hands. “It’s slow enough,” Patrick replied, his voice catching at the friction of his cock sliding against David’s, both of them slick and hot between their bodies. “It’s perfect.”

And it was. It was perfect for them. Slow, fast...Patrick didn’t really mind what they called it anymore. Here with David, cradled in the safety of his arms, warm and writhing under his body, Patrick felt no need to define the pace they took anymore. 

He was falling fast. He knew the feelings he had for David were racing past the realm of _ like, _headed toward something stronger, something more permanent. Something he wasn’t ready to say out loud yet. And David wasn’t ready to hear. And that was okay. He could show David, in little ways, how he felt. How he longed, how he wanted. And for now, he had all he needed. He had David here with him, on this journey. And they could take all the time they needed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrestled with this chapter for a long time. I had the first part (the canon discussion) written ages ago, and have been slowly working on it since. But I kept putting it off because I knew that I wanted to wrap this story up and now I had to take this chapter and turn it into an ending, which, ugh. It’s the worst. So I’ve been dragging my heals because I don’t really want this story to be over, but I need it to be so I can move on to other things. 
> 
> It seems like as good a place as any to wrap things up. It doesn’t mean that I won’t revisit this little universe again in the future with one-shots here and there. But real life needs my attention, and I have too many stories on the go and I hate leaving you all hanging for months at a time for updates on this one. 
> 
> It’s been an absolute pleasure to have you all on this journey with me and I’m looking forward to sharing many more stories with you.

**Author's Note:**

> I’d love to hear from you if you have some constructive feedback to share!
> 
> If you’re not already, come and play with me on Tumblr @delilah-mcmuffin
> 
> Until next time :)  
D McM

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Are We Doing This?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25392781) by [DelilahMcMuffin](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DelilahMcMuffin/pseuds/DelilahMcMuffin)


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